A Raven's Dark Wing
by Queen Bee Raven
Summary: Raven was born amongst a band of rogues who have a dangerous thirst for blood. She is fierce, yet is drowned in everlasting misery and continuous pain. One day she is exiled for a crime that she didn't commit and is forced into becoming a loner. She ends up meeting Clan cats and is taken under their wing. Will she be able to get over her past, or will it continue to haunt her?
1. Prologue: The Birth

_A dark ginger she-cat _watched the cats move about around her with her green eyes. Two cats, the youngest soldiers, Frost and Willow, were tussling around with each other, spitting and hissing in the other's face as they shoved each other around. A few other soldiers surrounded the two, cheering them on, laughing hysterically at them, or merely watching, possibly learning. Of course, the two were fighting with both tooth and claw, so that meant that every now and then blood would splatter onto the concrete, painting the gray ground scarlet.

The she-cat exhaled a deep sigh as she let her green gaze travel down to her round stomach. She lowered her nose to rest her muzzle on the soft skin and whispered very quietly. "I will keep you safe my kittens, I promise you that."

That is when she felt a very sharp pain embrace her belly and she felt the kits begin to move around within her, as if awoken by the sound of her voice. The dark she-cat emitted a low, pained groan as she hauled herself steadily to her paws, feeling her weight immediately bear down on her and shake her around, making her very wobbly on her paws. The tremors of pain continued and the she-cat suddenly realized what this meant and it was time.

_I hope that no cat follows me. _The she-cat thought and she sent worried glances around her. Most of the cats of the Base were now watching Willow and Frost fight (which had gotten even more fierce than it already was) or were out with the Base leader, Shard.

The dark tabby turned and began to wobble towards the one thing that would lead her into the forest. Crushed up against the stone wall towered a large oak tree, its branches thick and low, easy for her to reach without wasting too much energy.

Once she reached the large wood structure she sent one last, swift look around at her surroundings before hauling herself up onto the first branch, grunting in pain as she did so. She was already panting as she managed her weight on the branch and a thought crossed her mind. _Will I be able to make it before the kits arrive? _She shook her head at the thought, not wanting to let those kind of words control her mind. She promised herself that she would be perfectly capable of making it to her _secret place._

The she-cat surprisingly managed to crawl her way up to the mid-point of the oak, silently thanking her ancestors that the branches were built so close together. She could barely breathe otherwise though, but she was still thankful as she scrambled up onto the stone wall, her claws curling furiously at the springy, thick vines that snaked their way along the stone. She braced her muscles as she pulled herself upwards, feeling her weight immensely bring her down. _I probably should have planned this out more sufficiently. _The she-cat mentally smacked herself as the thought whispered itself in her ears.

She successfully heaved herself on the top of the stone wall and stood there momentarily, breathing very heavily and sucking in as much air as her lungs begged for. For a brief moment she let her green gaze flicker towards the Base and from this distance she could see the white pelt of Frost and the light-colored pelt of Willow. The two were still fighting and it seemed as if more cats had surrounded themselves around the two. _Good, they are not paying any attention to me. _

Once the dark ginger she-cat caught her breath she immediately set forward once again, dragging her weight along with her. She could feel the contractions becoming more frequent more agonizing. She felt her teeth grit together as she tried to contain the pain and continuing forward; in which now she was simply wobbling once again. She could feel her round belly swinging below her and sometimes even managing to scrape along the ground. _Yes, I am ready. They are ready. _

As the she-cat advanced deeper into the wood she knew that she needed to make her journey quick, knowing of a group of cats who would not be pleased of her presence. She assumed it was a bunch of crazed wild cats who had nothing better to do than sit around and yell at cats who dared to cross into their territory. She had experienced that once and she could remember it clearly; yet she did not want to replay it. All she needed to do was to hurry up.

That is what she did. She sped her pace up as soon as she noticed the dark gray outline of the cave she was aiming for. The cave was fortunately out of the wild cats' territory, which was the first thing she thought about it when she first discovered the cave. At least she was smart enough to think about it like that; maybe those stupid wild cats' did not think she was but at least she knew she was.

The she-cat breathed out a low, happy sigh of relief as she arrived closer to the cave. She inhaled deeply through her nose, breathing in the scents that surrounded her. Nothing particularly bad flowed up into her nostrils, merely the disgusting stench of the wild cats scent markings. Her nose wrinkled at the stench as she scurried as fast as she could to the den, not wanting the scent to tickle her nostrils no longer and desperate to get in the den to give birth to her kits.

As soon as the she-cat entered the den she collapsed into the soft, moss nest that she had made so many moons ago and sprawled out on her side, beginning to heave and fight for her breath. Ripples were now flowing over her large belly like mini waves rolling over the ocean. Her claws dug into the old nest, trying her best to fight the pain. Her teeth gritted together and her body constantly tensed with each new contraction.

_Oh my dear ancestors, please help me! _The she-cat cried helplessly in her mind and she lowered her head to bury it into the side of her nest, feeling the contractions grow stronger by each passing second.

"Love…?" The she-cat lifted up her very slightly upon hearing the soft, familiar voice ring in her ears and she felt a weak smile tug at her lips, too tired to be surprised that he actually had somehow followed her. Though, she felt her head involuntarily crash back down onto the edge of her nest, feeling pain beginning to overpower her body.

"S-Shard, they are coming," the dark tabby whispered feebly and she felt the tom settle himself down beside her, wrapping his tail around her and she felt his tongue begin to drape over her ears in the gentlest strokes that she has ever felt and she felt relieved for a split second before another contraction rattled her body and she stiffened and tensed up once again.

"It is alright, Scarlet. Just breath and everything will be alright," her mate whispered soothingly in her ear and she steadily began to try and breath as calmly as she could, pushing the air through the pain.

A ripple rolled over the ginger she-cat's body and she felt and agonized cry slip through her lips as the first kit slid out onto the nest. Immediately Shard leaned forward and grabbed the kit, vigorously licking the small cat before setting it at the she-cat's belly. She took a quick glimpse at her first kit and realized that it was a tom and was a precise copy of her brother; Silver; a compacted silver tabby.

The next ripple came very quickly and she bit her lip to hold back the yowl that tickled her throat, telling her to let it out. She buried her claws in the nest as the kit made its way out and onto the nest. Shard once again reached his neck out and began to lap at the kit's fur before placing it at her belly. She could not bring herself to look up though, feeling very weak and weary.

"You did it, love," her mate pressed himself close against her and pressed his nose against her neck and she could feel his warmth trickle down to her skin. She also felt her two kits wriggle around at her belly but her mate's sweet, gentle words did not encourage her. Her eyes felt very heavy and her body felt like a giant rock.

Suddenly, another contraction shook her body and she felt that yowl scratching at her throat rip through her mouth from the surprise attack at her body. She pushed herself against Shard's dark tabby body and felt her eyes shut very tightly, feeling the pain take over her body once again. She heard her two kits whine as she shifted away from them and they tried to find their way back to her belly, desperate for the milk she carried.

She felt her body converse as the surprise kit slid out onto the nest. The dark tabby was completely stripped of her energy and breath and lay heaving, gasping and desperate to get air into her system. She could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness as she felt Shard place her third cat at her belly and she could hardly feel her three kits as they snuggled back up against her.

"Love, would you care to name them? Or would you like to rest first?" Her mate's voice seemed very distant and far away as he spoke those words in her ears. She wearily lifted up her head and intertwined her green gaze with her mate's icy blue gaze. She had begun to see black dots popping up on the edges of her vision and she knew that soon enough that she would simply pass out.

"S-Sure," she muttered feebly, not really knowing if the dark tabby had heard her. She shifted to where she was slightly sitting up, supported by Shard's thick frame. The dark ginger gazed tiredly down at her kits, each of them were peacefully sleeping, each of them snoring ever so softly.

"The silver tabby should be named Ash," Shard's tail snaked around the ginger she-cat's body to lightly tap the compacted tom, who twitched ever so slightly at his father's touch. The she-cat could not help put press a weak purr at the sight, feeling warmth embrace her heart.

"The other tom should be called Ember," the she-cat let her tail slip slowly upwards and just as Shard did, gently tapped the ginger tabby on the flank. The small tom whimpered and cuddled closer to her belly, as if frightened by her touch. It actually amused the she-cat a twinge.

"The she-kit should be called…" Shard's meow was quizzical as his intense blue eyes stared down at the small black she-kit. She seemed much smaller than her brothers' and did not seem as strong. She looked much weaker and the dark she-cat could feel her kit tremble about every few seconds. It broke the mother's heart upon seeing her kit in this condition, causing almost all warmth to seep from her bones. Though, she decided on a name for her daughter, the perfect name for the little jet-black fur-ball.

"Raven, she is going to be known as Raven," the she-cat lowered her muzzle down to delicately place her nose on the little black she-kit's head. Unlike her brothers', her daughter merely shoved her little head closer against her mother's nose. Of course, this caused all the warmth to begin to wrap itself around the dark she-cat's heart once again.

_Maybe she will be alright, maybe she will be stronger and more courageous than her brothers'. _The she-cat thought confidently as she pulled away from her daughter and proceeded onto resting her head back against the edge of the moss nest. She felt Shard's head settle down on her neck and she breathed out a long, heavy sigh feeling her eyelids flutter downwards, felling weariness overpower her.

She felt her tail curl tightly around the three bundles at her belly and pressed them closer to her. _Goodnight my darlings, I promise that you will always be safe with me. I will not let anything ever hurt you. _She processed the thought before she felt sleep wrap its arms around her and drag her into its embrace, causing her to fall into darkness.


	2. Chapter 1: The Cold Plan

"Raven stop, you're hurting me!" The ginger tom scrambled helplessly under the black she-cat's weight and the she-cat let out a bitter hiss at the weak tom as her claws dug into his neck. She may be small, but she was stronger than this puny tom known as Ember.

"Come on, Ember. I was just having a little bit of fun," Raven curled her lips back in a mocking smirk before leaping off of her brother, leaving the tom lay motionless on the ground. Scarlet dripped onto the concrete from the minor neck wound and Raven let out a snort of disgust.

Raven was considered a high-ranked member of The Blood Alliances, while her brother was lower than the low. He was scared of the dogs that wondered about in the allies and the bloody fights that broke out amongst us. He was scrawny and seemed to be shrinking in size. She was surprised that her father hadn't killed him yet, or that he hasn't gotten himself killed.

Her other brother though was just like her, high-ranked and blood-thirsty. He was bigger and stronger than her, he would usually beat her in their little "play fights". She would usually earn a new nick in the ear or a new scar on her shoulder, she didn't completely mind though. Their father, who was their band leader, favored them and would snap at their weaker brother. She bet he was planning something to "set him straight".

"Raven, I brought you a rat," the black she-cat turned her attention to the she-cat who stood behind her, her dull green eyes were emotionless and her dark ginger pelt was matted with blood.

"Mother, what happened? Did you get into a fight?" Raven anxiously sniffed at her mother's pelt and a rough purr rumbled in the scrawny she-cat's throat.

"Just Silver teaching me a lesson, I didn't bring him enough prey," the ginger she-cat casually shrugged and set the rat Raven's paws. Silver was second-command in their band, he would viciously attack the scavengers' who didn't bring enough food for the fighters'. He was a hostile and dangerous cat, most of them were, but he just seemed the worst out of every cat. He was also known as Scarlet's brother, making Raven and her littermates his kin.

"You take it, I'll say I've already eaten," Raven meowed softly and gently pushed the dead creature over to her mother's paws. It was against the rules to give a scavenger food before the fighters have eaten, but she didn't care. Her mother's ribs were visible through her pelt and she almost looked like a pile of bones, her once bright green eyes were now just a dull hue of green, they almost looked dead.

Her mother blinked gratefully at her before lowering her muzzle to grasp onto the rat, the dark tabby she-cat ran off before anyone saw and a heavy sigh escaped through Raven's mouth. She cared for her mother and so did her two brothers, but no one else did, especially their father. Her mother told her that he casted her aside because she didn't agree with Shard's ways of training their kits. Shard had gotten angry and simply pushed her out of his life.

Raven's ears perked upwards when she heard a yowl echo against the stone walls of the alley, her eyes traveled around her and noticed her father standing on the dumpster with narrowed blue eyes, she also noticed a small gray tom standing at the base. Silver had the tom pinned, one tabby paw placed on his throat. The gray tom must be a trespasser, which means he will be killed.

"Please, I'll leave! I won't ever come back!" The small tom cried out a plea but Shard gave no mercy, he lashed his tail at Silver and in a split second the gray tom lay motionless on the ground, a pool of blood circling the body. Silver flicked the blood off his paw and bent down to drag the body away. Prey for the dogs.

Raven felt her father's gaze land on her and she felt a purr rumble in her throat as she padded over to him. He leaped down from the dumpster and rubbed his muzzle affectionately against her cheek, she ran her tongue over his chin feeling warmth pump in her. She didn't completely enjoy the feeling, though it felt comforting. It was strange, Shard still had some type of affections towards his kits, not Ember, but to Raven and Ash. Raven would have thought after casting aside Scarlet he would show only hate towards his kits. Though, she guessed Shard had different thought.

"Raven, what have you accomplished today?" Shard backed away and he stared at her expecting a long story on how she killed a dog and how she fed a cat to a dog, but all she did today was beat up her brother.

"Nothing I propose?" He tipped his head impatiently and Raven slightly curled her lips back, her father always needed an answer right away or else his pelt would begin to tingle. That's one thing she wasn't fond of about him.

"I beat up Ember today," his blue eyes brightened upon hearing her words and a prideful purr arose in the tom's throat.

"That cat needs to be taught a lesson, a lesson of living here," Shard's purr quickly changed into a bitter snarl and Raven nodded her head in agreement. Sure he was her brother but he was weak and helpless. If a dog was running after him, he would shudder and fall to the ground. He needed to be able to fend for himself in this group and not count on others for his safety.

"Maybe you could teach him that lesson," Shard whispered and he stole a glance behind her, she slowly followed his gaze and she saw Ember happily licking our mother's ears with such gentleness. Their mother looked so pleased and happy herself, Raven could hear delighted purrs rumbling in the she-cat's throat.

"And we need to do something about her," Raven stiffened when she felt her father's warm breath on her ears. She whipped around to face him with narrowed, angry eyes. He couldn't possibly be saying that we should kill her? He knew how close she and her brothers were to her!

"We are not killing her," Raven meowed coolly, not wanting to cause a big commotion and Shard stared at her with eyes like ice. She noticed his fur slowly begin to bristle and she felt her claws flex, prepared to fight if he decided to attack.

He hesitated for a moment before finally letting his fur lay flat and he seemed reluctant to dip his head. "Fine we won't kill that pile of bones, but you're still going to…help Ember."

Raven heaved a sigh of relief as Shard turned to stalk away. She knew he wasn't happy that she stuck up for her mother. Raven hated that he despised her and she wanted to claw some sense into him sometimes. Though he had sense when it came to Ember, if she fought him it would hopefully make him stronger. Her brother needed to understand that the streets weren't meant for puny cats like him. You needed to be fierce and brave out here, especially in their group. The streets were more dangerous than all of them put together, every tooth and claw had some job here. And every cat had a job.


	3. Chapter 2: A Dark Night

Dark clouds rolled over the once clear blue sky like waves cascading over the shore. Thunder rumbled deep within the clouds while lightning lit up the darkening sky, creating a light show. Rain was slow to fall from the clouds, but it gradually became faster and harder. Cold winds blew through the rain and directed the falling drops sideways.

Raven shifted uncomfortably in her nest, the wind was ruffling her fur and the rain was pattering against the den's walls with constant pitter-patters. The thunder cracked outside making it very difficult to sleep. She was reluctant to get up though, considering she was somewhat comfortable in her nest.

She heaved a heavy sigh and finally pushed herself to her paws, her muscles still ached from earlier and as she took a step forward she nearly fell back down. Shard had been training her today and seemed to have pushed her too hard. He said she needed to be able to beat Ember with a flick of a paw, though he also said that Ember would probably cower and run off.

Raven shook her head as she ducked underneath the low-hanging tendrils that ran along the wall of the abandoned two-leg den that was the place where the fighters slept. Raven thought that one day the whole den would just crumble and fall apart, crushing every cat that lie underneath. The den had cracks zigzagging across the sides and long vines poked in between the cracks. Not one cat knew how long it has been here, some say it has been here since the two-legs first came.

"Can't sleep?" Raven turned and narrowed her eyes against the darkness, she noticed the large outline of a cat emerging from the entrance and she immediately recognized who it was.

"Isn't it obvious, Flame?" Raven waved her tail around her and an amused purr arose in the large tom's throat, his ears were flat on his head against the rain while his fur fluffed against the bitter winds.

"Well, it appears your father can't either," Flame motioned his tail towards the dumpster and Raven followed the tip of his tail, she noticed the silhouette of the dumpster and the outline of her father, she also noticed another shape but she had to narrow her eyes against the rain to see clearly.

It was Ember.

"Father, please let me go!" Raven had to strain to hear the trembling voice of her brother and she could hear a fierce snarl escape from Shard's mouth.

A flash of lightning lit up the whole area and Raven saw her father standing over Ember, his eyes were blazing with so much ferocity that it almost made her flinch and Ember's once ginger pelt was now scarlet. _Was Shard killing him?!_

"Father, stop!" Raven darted forward leaving a confused Flame to stare after her, her paws thundered along with the rain roughly bouncing off of the concrete.

She launched herself up onto the dumpster and shoved her father off of her brother, the dark tabby stumbled sideways and sent a glare at her. She curled her lips back in the beginning of a snarl and suddenly Shard's glare became a prideful gaze.

"I'm sorry Raven, you may go ahead," the gray tabby lashed his tail at Ember who was staring up at the two with wide terrified eyes.

Raven angrily lashed her tail before turning to her brother, his fur was matted with blood and his body was trembling with fear. What was Shard doing? Raven thought her father was preparing _her _to teach Ember the lesson, not _him! _The black she-cat growled in irritation as she stared down into her brother's pale green eyes full of terror.

"Raven, stop staring at him and attack him!" Shard's fierce, aggravated snarl sounded from behind her and Raven decided to begin her lesson. She raked her claws down her brother's ginger flank, causing a loud wail of pain to come from the tom. Raven emitted a low sneer and lowered her muzzle so that she could snap down on her brother's neck fur. _This is actually easier than I truly expected!_

"R-Raven, what are you doing!? Stop!" Ember cried out, desperately wiggling underneath of her. For some reason, Raven felt her chest tighten at the sound of the ginger tabby's plea. It sounded so shaky and scared. The she-cat felt a growl rumble in her throat, she couldn't feel sympathy for a cat like him! _H-He deserves this! _

"End it, Raven," she felt her father's breath in her ear and she felt her muscles tighten, she wasn't planning on killing him and her father never said anything about killing him.

She shook her head to clear her mind and she bit down harder on Ember's throat, feeling blood ooze into her mouth. She couldn't back out of this now, especially with Shard standing right there. She couldn't give any mercy to her weak brother. The ginger tabby tom screeched out in agony and he continued to struggle underneath of Raven, his back paws batting at her belly. His attempts proved useless though, because after one last finale bite down on his throat, there was a sickening _CRUNCH _and her brother became limp underneath of her. _I just killed my brother… _

"Good job, Raven, you taught him the lesson he needed to learn," Raven felt her father's tail run down her spine and she turned to look at him. His eyes were cold yet full of delight, he had one less pest to worry about and he was obviously happy about it.

"The others will know tomorrow, they will be happy about it," his words were drowned about by the pouring rain and Raven felt everything go quiet. She felt a weird emotion churning up inside of her, but she didn't understand what it was. She could feel her stomach become knots, wrapped up in an unknown emotion, while her chest tightened once again.

It wasn't guilt right? You're not allowed to feel guilt or regret out here. You're supposed to be heart-less and cruel, you shouldn't feel pain when you kill another. You're supposed to feel pleasure not sorrow. _Is something wrong with me?_


	4. Chapter 3: A Broken Wing

Dawn light seeped through the holes of the run down den and Raven wanted to shift over so that it only pressed against her back. Her muscles ached from last night and her mind was fuzzy. She still felt that churning in her stomach from last night as she stared down at Ember's motionless body. It continued to bother her, she didn't understand it, and it even was spreading to her heart. She felt it touch each vein and make it feel the emotion. She was turning it around for the rest of the night until she was able to finally close her eyes, but it also haunted her dreams. She was standing in a river of blood, a trail of dead bodies behind her. Two specific bodies caught her eye, Ember and Scarlet. They were lying mangled and crippled at her paws, staring cloudy-eyed up at her. Their faces twisted in a silent yowl of pain, along with the other bodies.

Raven suppressed a shiver and reluctantly pushed herself to her paws, her muscles seemed to let out a defiant hiss and sent pain through her body. She growled in frustration and stalked toward the entrance, she could push past the pain because either way she needed to be awake. Shard said that he wanted her to fight today and she needed to be prepared. Though, as she slipped past the tendrils she noticed a large circle of cats by the dumpster. It was obvious she was last to wake. She had no time to stretch out her muscles and relax them, or practice. She was going to be thrown into a fight with weary bones.

"Raven, nice to see you finally got up!" Shard greeted her with a sneer and snickers arose from the group of cats, she held back the angry snarl that began to bubble in her throat and she dipped her head at her father in greeting. In all honesty, Raven thought she deserved pleasant greetings from her Band-mates, not bitter laughs, especially from her father. She killed one of the 'nuisances' in his life and she gets a good-morning sneer.

"You are going up against Slash," Shard motioned his tail over to the dark gray tom who was planted beside Frost. The tom's green eyes lit up at the mentioning of his name and when he turned to Raven his eyes instantly turned cold.

"Hope you've come prepared, little-bird," Slash's bitter hiss mixed with the hostility in his eyes made Raven slightly flinch, his long claws scraped along the concrete as he made his way over to her and she felt her fur begin to bristle. She always won the fights and she was never like this, she was never afraid.

Raven unsheathed her claws and curled her lips back in a menacing snarl, the tom merely sneered before lunging forward. Raven ducked forward under his outstretched paws and leaped into his stomach. The gray tom gasped as the two landed on the ground with a _THUD_! Slash lay breathing deeply trying to regain his breath while Raven stood over him with burning muscles, her teeth gritted as the burning sensation coursed through her.

"Come on, Raven!" It was the irritated hiss that came from Shard and she didn't realize in time that Slash had regained his breath, he managed to throw her off with a shove of a few paws and she scrambled backwards, trying not to lose balance.

Raven was about to get back at Slash but she felt his claws dig into her pelt, his weight knocked her downwards and she felt her muzzle being pushed down onto the concrete while claws dug into her neck. She struggled and for the first time felt helpless, her body was failing her. She seemed like she couldn't fight back. She could hear the disgusted snorts coming from Slash as his claws sliced deeper. _If he goes deeper, he might end up killing me. _The thought flooded her mind and she felt her paws flail in front of her, she desperately searched for something her claws could latch onto.

"You are weak, little-bird," she felt Slash's breath tickle her ear and she felt her claws find his neck, she let out a screech and began to claw fiercely at his skin. She felt anger bubble up inside of her, she couldn't be weak, and she wasn't weak!

Raven ignored her tightened muscles as she shoved her paws into his belly, she surprisingly managed to haul the tom off of her and she heard an angry growl rise in the tom's throat.

She lifted herself to her paws and faced the tom, pain was now all over her body and she could feel her blood ooze out of her scratches and down through her fur. Her muscles were burning like fire now and her breathes were rapid as she stared at Slash. The tom stared at her with pure hatred glittering in his eyes and his lean muscles rippled underneath his pelt, preparing to continue the fight.

"Stop," Shard's voice broke the silence and the dark gray tom leaped gracefully down from his position on the dumpster, cats crouched in respect as he passed by them and Raven could see the pride glimmering in his cold, blue eyes.

"It's clear that we have a victor," Shard beckoned his tail to Slash and yowls of triumph escaped from the other band members, Slash lifted his chin pride-fully and Raven could see him staring at her out of the corner of his eye, she could see the cold and disgust passing through them.

"And it's clear we have a loser," the cheers died down as Shard turned to Raven, he glared down at her with angered, narrowed eyes. She crouched lowly to the ground feeling her father's gaze harden on her. Disappointment was also seen in his eyes, which made Raven feel ashamed. Of course, she loved making her father proud of her and seeing that pride glow in those blue eyes. But today, they were cold and full of disappointment. _He must have lost all pride for me after this fight. I wonder if he's even still happy that I killed Ember for him…_

I am weak. I need to make him know that I'm strong. I don't want to end up like Ember. Today was just a lesson, tomorrow is a new day. I'll work every tooth and claw to make him happy. I made a mistake today, and tomorrow I'll clean it up. I'll make everyone respect me again. I will make Shard happy at any cost...

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**I promise I'll add more of the other cats in the next chapters! ^^;  
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**Also, continue to submit more cats to the Clans, it is greatly appreciated! :) **


	5. Chapter 4: Prey

The rising sun casted long shadows across the large twoleg nests. The rays poked through the cracks in the old den and found their way to Raven's pelt, the black she-cat stretched out, trying to gather in as much warmth as possible. Early new-leaf wasn't generally warm and usually brought chilly days, but today was unusually warm. Today would be good to bask in the sun's warmth.

A delighted purr rumbled in Raven's throat as she rolled over to lie on her back, the rays rested on her belly, she didn't feel like getting up. She was perfectly content here, especially after yesterday. Almost every cat had cast her aside after the fight and they lost all respect for her it seemed. They sent her glares of disappointment and snapped at her, they also called her weak. She wanted to rip out the throats of each one of them, though she knew that wasn't sensible. She continued to tell herself that she will get her revenge soon. Even her wounds still stung. One of their allies, Persephonie, had visited and offered to help patch up Raven's wounds, though Shard had immediately turned down her help, saying that Raven's wounds needed to heal naturally, something like a punishment for being weak.

"Raven!" Raven groaned in annoyance when she heard her father's call, she certainly didn't want to get up now. Why couldn't she have one day of peace?

Raven lifted herself to her paws and arched her back in a soothing stretch, she stifled a large yawn and wearily padded to the entrances. Her body felt much better than yesterday and the knot in her belly seemed to have untangled, her aching muscles seemed to have loosened and her wounds didn't sting as much. She heaved a heavy sigh as she ducked underneath the tendrils, the sun immediately stuck its rays down on her back and a purr arose in her throat. So warm, so comforting. Raven inwardly purred and held back the urge to fall to the ground to bask in the warmth.

"Raven, sleeping all day again?" Shard's bitter hiss rang in her ears and she was pulled out of her happiness, she flexed her claws as she dared to look upwards. Bitter cold eyes. She wanted to shrink downwards to avert the gazes that were sent her way but she knew that she would look cowardly. Why am I so weak now? What's wrong with me?

"You should learn to keep your mouth shut, Shard," Raven bared her teeth in a growl and many gasps of shock rippled through the group of cats, Shard's eyes narrowed for a moment and he sneered.

"What are you going to do? Slit my throat? Cut out my tongue?!" Snickers. Bitter snickers. They laughed like Raven was playing, she scraped her claws along the concrete, forcing herself not to lunge at her father. She would end up getting killed if she did manage to kill him. She missed him being proud of her yes, but these past few days he grew cold and he seemed to hate her now.

"Words aren't going to make you strong, Raven," Slash chuckled and she could hear the harshness that edged in his growl, oh how good would it feel to dig her claws into his neck. Feel his blood seep in between her toes and see the terror pulsing through his wide green eyes.

"Flame, take Raven, Blade, and Jacko out on a patrol," Shard finally stopped snickering like an idiot and Raven felt slightly relived, she won't have to deal with her father and Slash for a while, but she will have to tolerate Blade.

"Why do I have to deal with such a weak bird?" Blade laughed as Raven wove her way around the cats, she could feel their teeth just barely miss her pelt and felt their hot breath on her ears. She didn't understand why she was so hated after one failed fight. Was it because they were following Shard? Sharing their snickers and sneers with him.

"Shut up, Blade!" Jacko snapped at the she-cat and Raven blinked gratefully at the tom, Flame and Jacko seemed like the only two who understood her aside from Scarlet. They were sensible enough to understand her.

The tortoiseshell she-cat snorted in annoyance before running ahead of the small group. Raven could hear the growl bubble in Jacko's throat and she rested a comforting tail on his shoulder. The ginger and black tom heaved a heavy sigh before slowing his pace to fall to the back. Raven now stood beside Flame who only stared forward with dull blue eyes, she could see the weariness edging in their depths and she remembered that Shard had made him stay up all night to patrol their territory. The large ginger tom was also slightly stumbling, Raven thought that his paws must be burning and his muscles must be aching.

_Shard is such an idiot sometimes!_ Raven inwardly hissed and felt her long claws scrape angrily along the concrete. Shard should learn how to respect his 'fighters', considering the fact that they put their lives on the line to protect their group. He's just a selfish tom, too stuck up to see past his own nose!

Distracted among her thoughts, Raven hadn't noticed that Blade had come to a halt and rammed right into the tortoiseshell's haunches. She could hear the irritated snarl that rumbled in the she-cat's throat and she could feel the piercing, hatred-filled amber eyes turn on her.

"Pay attention, idiot!" Blade snapped and Raven slinked backwards, not wanting to be anywhere close to the aggravated she-cat. Raven knew that she shouldn't be around the tortoiseshell when she's angry, because she would immediately regret it. Raven honestly was slightly frightened of her, only because she heard that Blade had once ripped a defenseless kit apart and a passing rogue had been brutally slaughtered by her. It sent shivers up Raven's spine.

Suddenly, a loud clanking noise made Raven's fur stand on end. All four cats' attention turned to a large, brown dog that was sniffing around at a fallen trash can. Raven felt her stomach knot in fear when the dog's black eyes turned to them. Its dark eyes seemed to have brightened in excitement and it ran forward, it tongue flailed in the wind and Raven arched her back as she let out a loud, defiant hiss. Blade however didn't stand back, the tortoiseshell she-cat let out a yowl and lunged forward, her claws extended towards the dog's muzzle.

"Blade!" Flame let out a cry when the dog's jaws clamped over the she-cat's paw, she let out a shriek of pain as the dog began to fling her around. She was just prey. She was its chew-toy.

Raven let out a battle cry and bounded forward, her knot of fear seemed to have been untangled by wild excitement. Of course fighting dogs was extremely dangerous and she could easily be killed, but the excitement and pleasure she felt when her claws pierced the dogs skin. _This is how I'll show them that I'm not weak!_ Beating a dog always showed some sort of bravery and courageousness.

The black she-cat leaped upwards and aimed for the dog's throat, it was too busy flinging Blade around and bucking upwards in attempt of throwing Flame off to notice her running towards it.

Raven felt her forepaws entwine around the dog's neck and her teeth dig into the dog's throat, the brown dog let out a loud, ear-splitting cry causing its grip on Blade's paw to loosen. The she-cat went plummeting to the ground and landed with a _THUD! _Raven felt her heart twist when she could see the she-cat lying crippled on the ground, her paw looked so mangled it nearly made Raven gag and blood began to surround the tortoiseshell.

The dog thrashed its head around viciously and Raven felt her grip tighten around the dog, she felt the dog's blood pour into her mouth and a bitter laugh bubbled in her throat. Idiotic dog! It was stupid enough to come after us! Raven thought harshly and felt her excitement knot up inside her. She wasn't afraid of a stupid dog! She could easily dodge its snapping jaws and its large paws. _It's idiotic to think it can beat us!_

Raven felt the dog go limp under her jaws and triumph pulsed through her. Her claws slid back and she released her jaws around its neck, but instead of crumbling to the ground the dog let out a provoked snarl and snapped its jaws at her. Its canines barely missed her muzzle. Raven felt confusion run through her as she scrunched away from the dog. _It went limp! It was dead! _

The brown dog curled its lips back to reveal sharp, yellow, thorn-sharp teeth and Raven did the same. Arching her back, she fluffed out her fur and began to angrily spit and hiss at the dog. She didn't intimidate it though. It lunged forward and Raven felt terror pulse through her when she felt its paw whack the side of her head, she stumbled and felt her mind go fuzzy for a split second before getting knocked back into reality when she was shoved sideways. Jacko had pushed her aside and had leaped at the dog, the ginger and black tom had his grip on the dog's head. It gave Raven time to regain her sense and her mind to clear.

"Raven, there's another dog!" But before she could leap into battle again the yowl filled her ears. Time seemed to stop around her when she felt jaws clasp around her frame, pain seared through her body and she could feel sticky liquid find its way through her fur. Such unbearable pain! She cried inside of her mind, holding back the agonized shriek that bubbled in her throat.

"Raven!" A cry echoed in her ears and she felt the pressure loosen around her back, the dog's canines were released from her and she felt herself smack against the concrete, causing a burning pain to ride up her veins. Her blood dripped off of her pelt and onto the ground below her, and she could feel blood drip from her lips. She could see Blade lying across from her, the tortoiseshell was limp and motionless while surrounded in a pool of blood, and Raven guessed she was dead.

Raven felt everything around her blur and her body become numb, everything seemed frozen. Her veins. Her muscles. Her body. Everything. Her vision seemed to be blackening and she strained to see what was going on, but every time she tried to move only unbearable pain made its way through her. _Am I dying? I-I can't be! I needed to prove my worth to my father! _

The last thing she heard was the battle cries of Flame and Jacko as they fought off the dogs. Raven felt weariness way down on her and complete darkness flooded her vision. She felt every part of her body loosen and her pain slowly ebb away.

_I wonder who will miss me. I wonder who will cry to the skies for me, begging to the Gods why they took me. I knew Scarlet would, Flame would, Jacko would, maybe even Ash. But Shard and everyone else would just shrug and say I was too weak. _

_I was just a weak little-bird._

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**So, Raven is kind of in the middle with her father at this point. She wants to make him proud and make him happy with her, but she hates him at the same time for the way he treats her. I guess that makes some kind of sense right? XD  
**

**QOTD: Who's your favorite character so far? **

**Remember, I am still accepting submissions for Clan cats over at "Create a Cat" Come quick!**


	6. Chapter 5: Crimson

_"They were all idiotic to go up against those dogs!"_

"That is what fighters are supposed to do! They fight dogs that threaten our safety!"

"At least all four of them survived! You should be grateful for that!"

"When she awakes she can explain!"

"I think she is waking up now!"

Raven groaned in pain as she blinked open her eyes, she immediately felt immense pain surge through her and she gritted her teeth to hold back a cry that dared to enter her mouth. She heard a sneer and she glared upwards at who made the mocking noise, she noticed her brother, Persephonie, Silver, and of course Shard. She knew her father sneered at her, she knew she must look helpless lying here, weak and useless.

"Throwing three good fighters into a useless fight, 'eh?" Shard spat and Raven winced when she felt his claws score across her muzzle, she snarled and snapped her teeth at his paw in attempts to crush down on his bone, but he quickly pulled it away with a snicker.

"What happened to you, Raven? You've turned so weak so quickly," Silver rounded behind her and she felt his tail smack her face as he circled back to stand beside Shard.

"I'm not weak! I fought against a dog and managed to survive didn't I?" Raven hissed and struggled to sit up, she wanted to show to her father that she was perfectly fit and capable of returning to the ruthless fights, but she merely stumbled and she fell back into the same position she was before.

"Raven, stop pushing yourself," Persephonie stepped forward and placed a gentle tail on Raven's shoulder, the black-she-cat wanted to shake away pale tail though seeing the menacing glow in Shard's icy eyes the tail almost seemed comforting.

"Is she alright? Is she awake?" Raven's ears perked at a familiar voice and she felt joy run up through her veins when a dark ginger face appeared in between Shard and Silver, her mother's eyes brightened and the ginger she-cat shoved her way past the two toms to reach Raven. The black she-cat was immediately covered in licks and she could hear the happy purrs that continuously rumbled in Scarlet's throat.

"I am so glad that you are okay! I thought you were not going to wake up!" Scarlet rasped her tongue over Raven's ears and she felt purrs bubble in her throat. It was so nice to have a parent who actually cares about her, whenever Raven got hurt Shard would only shrug and turn away. Shard would love on her and tell her that she will be able to fight soon.

"Oh, you must be starved after everything that happened!" When her mother said that Raven realized that her stomach has been aching. Scarlet let out an amused-filled purr and lifted herself to her paws.

"I caught a rat earlier, I will bring it to you," Scarlet meowed and turned to walk towards the abandoned den but Shard shoved her backwards, causing the frail she-cat to stumble and nearly falling backwards into Raven.

"She is not going to eat, the stronger fighters deserve to eat," Shard bitterly snarled and Raven could see the rage that burned in her mother's green eyes. The dark ginger she-cat's claws flexed and Raven knew that her mother wanted to rip out Shard's throat. Scarlet may look weak and frail, but hiding behind her fragile body was a protective and fierce mother.

"Shard, that is a little too harsh. Raven deserves to be treated equally, considering she is a fighter," Ash stepped forward before Scarlet could do anything she might regret and Raven blinked gratefully at her brother, he was amongst the cats who casted her aside and didn't seem to care about her. She could see the fury that glowed in the depths of his blue eyes.

Shard hesitated for a moment, he was glaring straight into Scarlet's eyes and both had an equal amount of rage glowing in them. It's hard to believe that once they actually loved each other. Shard's ambition and cruelness must have gotten the better of him, and all ever wanted was warriors. He didn't want some she-cat to get in his way of power. Scarlet was never as bad and cold as Shard, she was once a fighter but Raven always guessed that Scarlet grew weak after she gave birth to Raven and her littermates, and was forced into becoming a scavenger.

"Fine, but I better see her up and moving by tomorrow," Shard lashed his tail indignantly and turned to stalk away, Silver quickly followed with Ash on his paws. That left Raven with her mother and Persephonie.

"I will go fetch the rat for you," the pale-colored she-cat turned to run over to the abandoned den, a sigh of relief escaped Raven and she rolled her head onto the concrete. Blood dripped from her muzzle and painted the gray concrete crimson.

"Raven, are you alright?" Scarlet's eyes softened as she turned her head to face Raven. The black she-cat nodded and the dark ginger she-cat heaved a deep sigh before her herself turned to stalk away, tail dragging along behind her.

Scarlet has to go through more than any of us ever will, her mate hates her, she was forced to be the lowest-ranking cat, and she knew I killed Ember. Yet, she still stays strong. Raven completely admired her mother, even if she was frail. Her mother stayed strong even though she has been through so much pain and suffering. Scarlet kept strong and confident, even if the worst things come down on her. Scarlet had told her that you needed to stay strong on the streets, not matter the cause.

"Here you are Raven," she was pulled away from her thoughts and she gently lifted her head, Persephonie was padding over with a large, brown rat in her jaws.

"Thank you, Persephonie," Raven dipped her head in gratitude and the pale she-cat flicked her tail as she dropped the dead creature at the black she-cat's paws.

As Persephonie walked away Raven realized that she was sheltered underneath the low-hanging piece of metal, it lay upon the dumpster and could easily be pushed off. The sun's rays bounced off the metal and didn't reach her, only chilly winds sent shivers through her body.

Raven shrugged and lowered her muzzle to tear off a piece of meat off of the rat; a rat wasn't the most pleasant thing to eat, compared to a mouse at least. Surprisingly, not many mice are seen around here and she's only had one about once or twice in her lifetime. They were way better than rats. Their blood was richer and juicier, their flesh was softer and chewier. Rats were the complete opposite. Their blood tasted almost tainted while their flesh seemed rough and hard.

Raven chewed on the rat's flesh feeling her hunger slowly ebb away, she was so thankful that her mother brought her food. Scarlet always gave her the biggest and plumpest one, giving scrawny and small rats to the other fighters. Of course she was scowled at because of their size but she didn't mind. Scarlet said Raven needed to be big and strong for her fights. You can't be small and boney and win fights at the same time. Raven was small, yes, but she was well-muscled and powerful.

"Hey, Raven!" A cheerful call rang in Raven's ears and she glanced upwards, a young she-cat was prancing up to her, her sky-blue eyes were wide in bliss and her multi-colored fur becoming ruffled in the wind.

"Hello, Dawn," Raven meowed softly as the trainee ducked underneath the piece of metal and trotted happily up to her. Dawn and her were good friends, sometimes Raven would train her though she usually trained with Willow and Frost.

"You look terrible Raven!" The young she-cat's eyes widened when she noticed the cobwebs that patched up her body, a purr of amusement tickled Raven's throat and Dawn chuckled.

"Thanks that just lifts my spirits way up!" Raven meowed sarcastically and Dawn smirked, reaching outwards with a tortoiseshell paw to gently cuff Raven over the ears. Raven growled playfully and smiled brightly at the young cat.

"Aren't you supposed to be bothering your mentors?" Raven tipped her head at the tortoiseshell she-cat and Dawn quickly shook her head, her excitement immediately burning back in her eyes.

"Nightmare said that she would take me out to see the parts of the city I haven't seen yet!" The trainee leaped up in bliss and turned tail to dart away. Raven shook her head and her smile merely grew bigger as she watched the she-cat run away. Dawn wasn't a murderous cat, for now at least, but she was a cheerful, happy young cat who was eager to learn everything that she can possibly learn. It was quite entertaining to watch her bounce around Frost and Willow all day, annoying the both.

Raven wished she could have grown up like that. Though, her excitement was pushed down by strict rules and rough training. She once had a friend named Cinder who was like Ember, scared of their training sessions and the dogs that lurked around the corners of the alleys. So, Silver sent her out to go and find Shard, but Shard was luring a dog towards the clueless she-cat. Cinder ended up getting brutally mauled by the dog. That's what encouraged Raven to train hard and act strong. She sometimes wished Ember was more like her, maybe then she didn't have to kill him. She never wanted to kill him. Until that night, where Shard attacked him and Raven had to stop him. He set her up. He wanted Ember dead. He didn't want to deal with him anymore. He didn't want her to simply beat him up, he wanted her to kill him.

"She is our kit, Shard! How could you treat her like that? And you made her kill Ember you cold-hearted monster!" Raven was dragged out of her thoughts and she noticed Shard and Scarlet glaring at each other, their eyes blazing with rage and their claws scraping along the concrete.

"Ember was weak, he deserved what Raven gave him! And she needs to learn that she can't be weak, or else she will end up like Ember!" Shard snarled and Scarlet let out a battle cry. The dark ginger she-cat lunged forward and barreled into Shard, pushing the dark gray tabby to the ground. Raven's eyes widened as she watched her mother rake her claws down along the dark tabby's pelt, green eyes blazing with pure hatred.

Shard let out a yowl of fury and shoved his paws into Scarlet's belly, he managed to haul the dark ginger she-cat off though she was able to regain her footing quickly. They both lunged at each other, their claws outstretched towards each other. Raven watched in horror as her father easily pulled Scarlet downwards. _He could kill her!_ The thought spun around in her mind and she pushed herself to her paws, she felt pain surge through her body but she didn't care. She needed to stop Shard before he could kill her mother.

Raven stumbled to duck underneath the low piece of metal and noticed that the whole band had surrounded the former mates. They looked utterly surprised, probably at the fact that Scarlet actually attacked Shard and that she could actually fight. Blood painted the concrete and yowls arose from the two fighters and cats amongst the large group. Scarlet had her claws dug deeply in Shard's shoulders while Shard had his claws buried deep in Scarlet's chest. It was mostly her blood that was spraying the floor, and it was mostly her cries that filled the air. Shard was just preparing to make the kill.

"You are quite idiotic to fight me, Scarlet! I thought you knew better," Shard let out a menacing snarl and thrust his muzzle into Scarlet's face, she showed no fear though. Her eyes merely narrowed and her lips curved back to reveal her thorn-sharp teeth.

"I do not care what you think anymore, Shard! You are just a rat-hearted cat who deserves to have his heart ripped out and fed to the dogs!" That caused an outraged shriek to escape Shard. The tom latched his claws into the sides of Scarlet's head and began to rapidly slam her head against the concrete.

"Shard, STOP!" Raven cried out and the tom whipped around to face her, the fury and rage that burned in his eyes made her muscles strain. She could see the cold and cruelness that lay behind the boiling rage, he was so eager to get Scarlet out of his system.

"Raven, why aren't you withering in your den?" Shard snapped in annoyance, clearly impatient. He wanted to get back to killing Raven's mother. She wasn't going to allow him do that though.

"You are not going to kill her, Shard! You told me you would not," Shard glared at her through narrowed eyes and he let his claws retract out of Scarlet's head. The dark ginger she-cat lay motionless on the ground and Raven quickly stumbled over to her mother, fearing that it was already too late.

Raven fell over beside her mother and began to rapidly lap at Scarlet's matted fur. Clumps of blood knotted her fur and made it difficult to smoothly run her tongue over her fur. Luckily, Scarlet's flank was slowly rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Though, Raven thought she had fallen unconscious after Shard hit her head against the concrete so many times.

"Pathetic weaklings," Raven could hear her father mutter as he turned to limp away, leaving a trail of blood behind him. Scarlet certainly did make a mark in him and she knew he wasn't happy about it.

Raven glanced upwards when she heard a small cough and noticed Flame and Jacko staring in her direction, their pelts were patched up with cobwebs as well and their eyes were wide in horror. _Why are they looking at me like that?_ Raven tipped her head in confusion and they both shook their heads, turning they headed away towards the den.

_What's their problem? I didn't do anything to scare them right? I only defended Scarlet_. Then it hit her. _Shard will now want to kill her even more! I know he hates when I defend a weaker cat! It shows how soft I am._

_He will just end up getting rid of the pest, take the softness out of my life. He doesn't want anything that is soft. He doesn't want a frail cat living with him. _

_Shard's going to end up killing Scarlet, he is going to pick out the worst way to kill her. Especially after what she did today,_

* * *

**So, Scarlet may be in a little bit of trouble 'eh? **

**QOTD: Who's your least favorite character so far? (I promise these questions will get better XD) **

****Remember, I am still accepting submissions for Clan cats over at "Create a Cat" Come quick!****

****Review, and remember, just enjoy the story! :)****

****Also, thank you all for the reviews guys, its appreciated so much! Along with the cat submissions! :)****


	7. Chapter 6: The Patrol

_"…and you know how much I love to fight dogs and train with you!"_

_"Can't you just shut up for one minute you nuisance?!"_

_"Nope!"_

Raven felt a purr of amusement bubble in her throat as she watched Dawn bounced around at Willow's paws; the tortoiseshell's eyes were wide in bliss while Willow's eyes were blazing in annoyance. It was so entertaining to watch the two. Dawn has not stopped talking since they came out on the patrol and Raven was surprised that Willow has not ripped out the trainee's tongue yet, or Ash at the matter. The tom must have tuned out the young cat before she even began to speak. Willow probably wishes she could do that.

"Why do you have to be such a grouch all of the time?" Dawn frowned at her mentor and it almost seemed like a scowl, it was almost too amusing to Raven the way Dawn stared at the older she-cat. She is just writing out her death wish.

"Why don't you learn to keep your mouth shut!" Willow snapped angrily at the she-cat and Dawn shrunk away from her mentor, her head turned away to avert the pale she-cat's burning eyes.

It was pretty funny.

Raven quickened her pace so that she could stand in between the two she-cats. They certainly did not need a fight to break out between the two, considering that Willow would easily be able to kill Dawn. The young tortoiseshell still had much to learn and she wouldn't be prepared for a full on attack by her experienced mentor. It would just end in Dawn lying on the ground with blood oozing out of her mangled body.

Raven had grown a sick sense of humor in these past days. When Blade was finally able to move again it was hilarious to watch the once powerful she-cat limp around, snickers and sneers coming from the cats around her. They were not laughing at Raven luckily. They stopped sharing bitter words with her. It feels good to have some sense of relief. Some of the weight on her shoulders has lifted. The weight that is still holding her down is Shard. Ever since Scarlet attacked him he has been secluded and when he comes out from hiding he sends death glares at Scarlet. Raven knew that he was planning something. A cold plan. And when he told her to come out on the patrol with Ash, she felt fear trickle through her. He wanted the two cats that loved her the most to get out of the way so that he can murder her.

And ever since they left, worry has been tugging at her pelt. She didn't want to leave her mother's side and leave her alone with cats who hated her. The only cats there who actually cared about Scarlet were Jacko and Flame. Raven had convinced Flame that Scarlet was a fierce and strong she-cat, the tom once thought she was a useless pile of bones that deserved to be fed to the dogs. She wanted to claw his eyes out when he said that but she was able to control her anger and calmly convinced him. It took a while though he finally saw past Scarlet's frail frame and dull eyes.

So, hopefully those two will protect her while Raven is out here.

"Raven, tell me. Do you like any cat?" Raven snapped out of her daze and whipped her head downwards to glare at Dawn. The she-cat had amusement glittering in her blue eyes and she seemed to have a jump in her step. _I always wonder what is wrong with her._

"Why do you need to know?" Raven huffed and lifted her head back upwards. Her nose wrinkled at the stench of crow-food as they passed a large dumpster and she felt herself gag. The dumpster in the base never smelled like that and Raven has not gotten used to the horrid smell of the dumpsters that scattered the city yet.

"Because I see the way you look at Flame, your eyes become so dazed and dreamy," Willow and Ash snickered at this causing Raven's pelt to heat up, she didn't like Flame in the way Dawn was thinking. He was just a good friend!

"Do not try to deny it, Raven!" Dawn chuckled and Raven curled her lips back in a threatening hiss, the trainee merely ran forward to walk beside Ash.

Raven was not in love with Flame! Love gets in the way of life! Taking care of kits, they just annoy you and get in your way! _But the way that those blue eyes sparkle in the sun and how his pelt shines so bright…No!_ Raven growled in irritation and shook her head to clear her mind, she did not want to think about it now. Her mind was too full to be shoving other distracting thoughts in.

"I think I see cats!" Dawn leaped upwards and Raven could hear an annoyed groan escape Willow as she padded up beside her trainee. Raven as well padded up towards the three and a familiar scent touch her tongue.

"I think I know who it is," Raven meowed softly in her brother's ear and he nodded in agreement. There were four shapes coming towards them, all of them were large yet small enough to be cats.

"Scorch!" Ash greeted the dark ginger tom happily and the other tom's eyes brightened as he got closer. Raven stifled a purr seeing the delight pass through the ginger tom's eyes.

"It's good to see you, Ash! Tell me, how has life been at base?" Scorch dipped his head respectfully at Raven, Willow, and Dawn, the three cats behind him copied him and Raven tipped her head in slight confusion.

"It is quite well, despite the fact that Ember was killed," Raven's eyes widened when she saw the pain that passed through her brother's eyes, his whole face was twisted in pain! _I thought Ash hated Ember!_ That is when her stomach knotted up again, that same emotion she felt the night she killed Ember. She hated the feeling that it brought to her, it was painful and it made her feel sick.

"I am sorry to hear that, I hope that he rests in peace," was that a devilish gleam in his eye? If it was it passed quickly, there was only sympathy that glimmered in their golden depths.

"But on a more serious note, why have you come?" The pain unknotted out of Ash's face and Scorch's sympathy-filled eyes burned into bliss, just like the same amount in Dawn's right now. The she-cat was fidgeting in excitement and Raven knew that Willow was holding back the urge to snap at the she-cat.

"We were hoping that we could stay at base for a little while," Scorch motioned his tail to the cats behind him and Raven noticed that their ribs were visible through their fur while their eyes were as dull as Scarlet's was. They looked incredibly desperate and Raven almost felt their pain. Something bad must have happened and they were forced out of wherever they were.

"Of course, just follow us," Ash immediately responded and he turned with a flick of his tail, Scorch dipped his head and Raven could just barely hear a sigh of relief escape the dark-colored tom. He too had his ribs poking at the edges of his flank and his golden-colored eyes were not as bright as usual.

Raven was at the head of the group beside her brother and she could feel his fur slightly bristling, Raven didn't dare ask why though, considering he always snapped angrily in response. She always thought that he must be caught up in his thoughts just like he usually is.

"Hey Raven, do you know who those cats are?" Dawn mew sounded from beside her and she glanced down at the tortoiseshell she-cat, her eyes were wide in curiosity and her pelt was bristling as well, but in excitement.

"Well, the dark ginger tom is Scorch," Raven whispered and angled her ears over to the tom, he was staring off like a dazed idiot and Raven held back the purr that tickled her throat.

"The cat beside him is his good friend, Fang," Raven waved her tail over to the long-furred tom who was directly on Scorch's paws, his dull green eyes were wide as they traveled around him.

"The brown she-cat beside him is Wood," the brown she-cat look somewhat weary as she padded alongside a large gray and white tom, she stumbled at times and the tom had to catch her before she fell.

"And that tom is Wolf," the tom looked equally weary as Wood but he managed to stay upwards to help Wood make it along, she suspected that they were good friends and looked out for each other, though that is what allies are for.

"And I am supposed to believe that they are our allies?" Dawn almost choked on her laughter and Raven felt anger bubble inside of her. A furious growl rumbled in her throat and Dawn immediately stopped her rude and idiotic laughter. She should be grateful that we have cats that look out for us!

As they rounded the corner that led into their ally that eventually led them into their base Ash came to a sudden halt, Raven, who had her attention on Dawn hadn't noticed her brother's fur had spiked up all the way and his eyes were wide in terror.

"Raven…" Ash whispered in a shaky voice and Raven slowly lifted her gaze upwards, her blood froze inside of her and she felt horror burn in her eyes as she stared at the scene in front of her.

_No…No, no, no, no, no, NO!_

* * *

**Question: What do you think happened?  
**

**Review and enjoy the story! :)**


	8. Chapter 7: Broken Promises

_No…No, no, no, no, no, NO!_

Raven charged towards the large lump of ginger fur, she could see a pool of crimson surrounding the body. It made more terror pulse through her when she recognized who the lump of fur was. It was incredibly difficult with all the blood the soaked in the cat's fur, but Raven knew exactly who it was and it made her heart twist.

"Flame!" Raven stumbled as she fell down beside the tom. His belly was severely cut open and his neck had a nasty cut that slit from one side of his jaw to the other. His face was twisted in agony and his mouth was opened in a silent cry of pain.

"What happened?" Raven rasped feeling a lump form in her throat, making it very difficult to get out her words. Staring down at Flame's crippled body made her sick, blood continued to ooze out of his body and the sticky liquid seeped in between Raven's toes. She already had a strong feeling of who did this to him.

"S-Shard…S-Silver…" Flame managed to sputter out the words and Raven felt rage boil up inside of her. Those two attacked one of their greatest fighters and leave him out for them to see? Do they expect not to get their pelts shredded by her?!

"Y-You promised me you wouldn't let them hurt you…" Raven felt the lump grow larger in her throat as she let the trembling words spill out of her mouth, her tail was gently stroking down the tom's bloody flank.

A laugh gurgled in the tom's throat as he gazed up at her with milky green eyes. "Promises are made to be broken," his head rolled back against the concrete and Raven felt every muscle in her body stiffen. _Is he dead? _

"A-Ash, get him on your back and take him to Persephonie!" Raven turned around to stare at the tabby with desperation glowing in her eyes and lifted herself to her paws. All of the cats had surrounded behind her and were staring wide-eyed at the gruesome scene in front of them. Though, none of them argued as Scorch helped haul Flame onto Ash's shoulders.

Raven watched as the whole group ran past her and left her and the pool of blood. While the rage still coursed through her confusion mingled in. Why would Shard and Silver attack him? He was not weak and defenseless. Raven tilted her head as her paw ran through the crimson pool, causing her black paw to become scarlet. Unless he was standing up for Scarlet.

Raven cringed at the thought of her mother already dead, lying mangled and her pelt completely scarlet. _I need to see if she is still alive! There is only a slight possibility that she is still alive though…_

Raven shook her head to clear her mind of the troubling thoughts and ran forward, her paws leaving bloody paw-prints to trail behind her. Her anger and hatred for her father was growing stronger with each new paw-step. _First he makes me kill my brother, then he threatens to kill my mother, then he attacks Flame! _Ever since that fight with Slash, Raven wanted to feel his fur under her claws and see his wide, shaking eyes as she ripped out his throat. Blood spewing out onto the concrete and onto her paws. _Oh how good that would feel. One day…_

Raven came to a halt when she found herself beside the dumpster. Cats were huddling around the center of the base and Raven guessed that they wanted to see how crippled Flame look and laugh at him. Call him weak. Sneer in his face. Raven could pick out the tortoiseshell pelt of Blade and could see the bitterness that burned in her eyes as they followed Flame. She was no longer the victim of criticism and hatred, Flame was.

Raven managed to pick out the dark tabby pelt of Shard and she curled her lips back in an a rage-filled snarl when he turned her way, his blue eyes were devilishly gleaming and she could also see amusement burning in their depths. He thinks this is funny! He thinks this is all just a game!

"Did you like my surprise, Raven?" All cats' attention turned to her as Shard wove his way around them. Raven felt her claws unsheathe and her ears flatten against her head as she felt a provoked growl rise up in her throat.

"Well, it is obvious you did not, why?" He stopped and pushed his muzzle into Raven's face, his lips were curved back in a menacing smirk and his eyes blazed brighter when he saw the fury in her eyes.

"You do not know how much hatred I am feeling for you, father! You attacked my best friend and made me kill Ember! I feel like ripping out your eyes and shoving them down your throat!" Raven snarled and lunged at him; she toppled him over and felt her claws rake across his pelt. She heard him gasp in surprise but it quickly converted into a snarl as he attempted to haul her off. She pushed her paws into his throat and glared down at him with burning eyes.

"At least I know that you can still fight," a humorous growl rumbled in the tom's throat and it only caused Raven to push down harder on her father's throat, his eyes showed no fear nor did he even try to gasp for air. He just stared up at her with amused-filled eyes.

"Where is Scarlet at?" Raven had not noticed the dark ginger she-cat amongst the group of cats and it made her pelt prickle with worry, Scarlet was probably lying dead somewhere where only Shard and Silver know of.

"I do not know, I mean after that dog came and ripped her apart…" Shard's words drifted off and Raven felt pure terror run through her. Her eyes widened and it caused a bitter-full sneer to escape from Shard. Raven felt her rage burn up again and she began to bury her claws deep into her father's neck.

"You killed her you rat-heart! You lured her to the waiting dog! I HATE YOU!" Raven screeched feeling her already soaked paws to become painted over again. Her father's paws batted at her belly but she didn't budge. Her anger and pain was taking over her, she could not control herself.

Suddenly, Raven felt something barrel into her side and caused her to stumble off her father, her claws were ripped from Shard's throat and she felt claws dig into her pelt. It was Silver. The tom seemed furious as his claws ran down her sides and his teeth connected to her flailing paws.

Raven, with her lingering anger still bubbling at the bottom of her stomach, let out a battle cry and ripped her paws out of the tom's grip before shoving her claws into Silver's throat. He gaged and she felt his claws bury themselves into her neck. Pain wove its way around and through her body, she gritted her teeth trying to ignore the pain.

"Let go of her, Silver," Raven could see Ash padding up to them, his eyes too were blazing with fury and rage. He must be furious that Shard and Silver killed their mother, considering the ferocity that blazed in his eyes.

Sliver let out an annoyed huff and Raven felt his claws exit her, her claws slid out of his throat as he climbed off of her and she lay panting on the concrete. She could feel her blood trickle out of her wounds but she did not mind. She could feel her father's eyes burn into her and she felt the urge to get up and rip them out. He didn't say anything though. It was an eerie silence. No cat dared to speak. It was so quiet that you could hear a bee flying a few fox-lengths away from base. _What is going to happen now?_

Finally, Raven heard her father's paws thump against the ground as he came towards her. Instinctively, she rolled over and leaped to her paws, her father was merely glaring at her though. He made no move to attack. His eyes were cold and no longer were burning with amusement. He was extremely angered.

"You are lucky your brother helped you," Shard curled his lips back to reveal thorn-sharp teeth before turning and stalking towards the dumpster, Silver let out a bitter hiss at Ash before running to catch up with Shard.

"Raven, you are an idiot sometimes," Raven turned her attention to the silver tabby who stared back at her with a disgusted look twisted onto his face, her heart twisted as Ash whipped around and shouldered his way through the crowd of cats.

"He is right, Raven. Your father is now just going to plan to kill you," Raven jerked her head around at the new voice and noticed Wood standing behind her, the she-cat did not look as weary as she was on the journey back from the patrol. The brown tabby was staring at her with narrowed blue eyes and Raven felt a growl rumble in her throat.

"What do you know? You are not Shard! You do not know what he is planning!" Raven snapped fiercely at the she-cat before turning and barreling through the group of cats. Pain from the fight wove around her body and she could feel blood trickle through her black pelt, but she managed to shove it all aside. _I know Shard is angry at me, but would he really plan to kill m_e? Raven thrashed her head around to get the thought to exit her mind; she was not worried about her life right now. Flame's life was on the line and she needed to make sure he was going to be okay.

Raven nosed her way through the low-lying tendrils that led into the medicine corner. The scent of herbs was strong and it made Raven's nose wrinkle in disgust. She could not see how Persephonie could deal with the smell. Raven shrugged it off and noticed Flame lying in a moss nest, his paws were irritably twitching while his flank rose ever so slowly. Raven flinched at the sight of the cobwebs that scattered across the ginger tom's body.

"Raven?" Raven looked upwards at the soft voice and saw the pale silver she-cat slide out from the shadows, her eyes were weary and her eyes looked very dull. She was probably working her tail off trying to save Flame.

"Persephonie," Raven dipped her head respectfully at the older she-cat before lowering herself to the ground and wrapping her tail over her paws, "I have a question, will Flame be okay?"

Persephonie heaved a sigh and padded over to the black she-cat, Raven could see the guilt that seeped deep in the golden depths of the she-cat's eyes. She felt her fur bristle with anxiety as she waited for the she-cat to respond. It made her paws tingle with worry. What if she could not save Flame? What if he will not make it to see tomorrow?

"He is in very critical condition, Raven. He lost so much blood that I thought he did not have any left!" Persephonie spoke with trembling words and Raven felt her heart twist in pain, she could see the sorrow that glowed in the she-cat's eyes along with the guilt and pain that followed.

"I do not believe he will make it to tomorrow," Raven held back a cry of agony as her eyes traveled over to the ginger tom; he looked so small and crippled lying in his nest. She felt the lump form in her throat again and she wanted to rip it out, she did not want to feel any more pain. She did not want to feel at fault for these deaths.

"I know how much you cared about him, Raven," Raven felt Persephonie's tail run soothingly down her spine and she felt her eyes fill, without thought she turned her head and buried her nose into the pale she-cat's shoulder. She felt herself shudder as she felt cries and yowls tickle at her throat. She did not want to feel pain! She did not want to feel agony! She wanted to feel comfort. She wanted to feel happy.

"I will let you rest with him if you would like," Persephonie's warm breath bounced off of Raven's ear and she pulled away from the she-cat, her golden eyes were piercing with sadness as she lifted herself to her paws. She motioned her tail to Flame before disappearing in the shadows without another word. "I will also patch you up soon enough."

Raven felt her paws tremble as she rounded Flame's nest, her body felt numb as she fell down beside him. All of her muscles seemed to have been ripped out of her body while her heart seemed to have shut down. The lump in her throat seemed to have made it hard to breathe.

"Flame, I am truly sorry this happened to you…" Raven whispered gently into the tom's ear as she ran her tail softly down his body, her muzzle brushed against his shoulder blade as a way to comfort herself. She wanted to feel his fur brush against hers one last time. She wanted to feel the last of his warmth radiate from him and into her.

"R-Raven?" Raven lifted her head up in surprise and noticed dull blue eyes staring up at her. She felt a weak, saddened purr bubble in her throat and she pushed her nose into his cheek, causing a rough and raspy purr to rumble in the tom's throat.

"F-Flame, I-I am so sorry," Raven whispered through the lump that seemed to be extending in her throat and she could hear a faint laugh escape from the tom, she knew he was forcing it through the pain.

"D-Do not be, I-I will not h-hold a g-grudge against you," she felt his tail stroke gently against her cheek and she felt his tongue run over her ears, she felt his love and warmth radiating off of him._ I wish I could have told you sooner…_

"You will n-not forget me r-right?"

Raven looked up into his eyes and saw the gentleness that always glowed in them when he stared at her; he had signs of a faint smile on his face and the signs that amusement that was buried in the depths of his blue eyes. It somewhat surprised her on how he changed so much over time. When Raven was a kit he was about Dawn's age. He teased her and called her "little bird". She hated that name so much and she would always snap at him telling him that he should pick on someone his own size. But as she got older she got more powerful and he could not look down on her anymore. They became best friends. And now they were here, him on his last legs and she lying curled up beside him. _I am losing everyone I have ever truly cared about…_

"I will always remember you, you most likely will not leave my mind for a few days," purrs of amusement arose in both of their throats and Raven felt her heart ache. This is the last laugh I will ever share with you, Flame…

"You promise?" Raven slightly cringed at the word promise but she knew it was not going to be an easy one to break. His memory will probably linger in her mind until the day fate chooses to beat down on her.

"I promise," Raven rubbed her cheek against his and felt his head fall pull away from her, it fell down at the edge of the nest and Raven froze. _Did his eyes just close? Did his flank just stop rising?!_

"R-Raven, just k-know, I have always loved you," Raven heard a weak and faint mew come from Flame before his flank heaved one last time before shuddering and simply falling back down. Agony found its way through her as she realized what happened. _He is dead…He is dead!_

"F-Flame," Raven's voice quivered as she rested her head against the ginger tom's neck, it was matted with blood but she didn't care. His body was still warm and she wanted to collect it.

_I have always loved you too, Flame._ Raven felt everything shut down inside of her as her eyes closed and pictured herself and Flame; they both were far away from the evil grips of her father and Silver. They were happy and laughing, while kits tumbled at their paws_. I am so sorry Flame I could not give you that life!_ Raven cried in her mind and buried her nose deeper in his fur. _I am so sorry…_

Raven longed for Scarlet to be here so that she could comfort her, Raven wanted to feel the gentle whispers in her ears and her mother's tongue run softly down her pelt. But now I have no one to comfort me. I am alone. And it is all because of Shard. Rage burned over her pain and she felt her claws scrape into the edge of the moss nest. He caused all of my pain! He has killed every cat that I have cared about!

_Why does he have to do this to me? I wish he was a father who cared about his kits. He only cares about killing every cat though! He caused me so much pain and agony!_

Raven felt her eyelids tighten over her eyes as she felt her fury grow; her father was only a murderer who only cared about himself! He does not care about her; he does not care about her happiness!_ I caused all of it though. I provoked him to go through with killing them…_

_Ember, Scarlet, Flame, please forgive me. I gave you all promises and I broke them. I promised you all that I would not let anything hurt you. Now you are both dead. _

_I am truly sorry. Please, forgive me…_

* * *

**So, Raven truly did have feelings for Flame.  
**

**QOTD: If you were in Raven's position what would you do?  
**

**Review and enjoy! :)**

**P.S: It's funny how all of you guessed that in the beginning what Raven was looking at was Scarlet! XD **


	9. Chapter 8: Dead Silence

_"Raven? Raven, wake up!" _

Raven let out a groan and blinked open her eyes. Persephonie's paw had been jabbing at her side and caused an aching sensation to form at her side. Raven wanted to growl at the she-cat for disturbing her while she was sleeping but saw the urgency in the pale she-cat's eyes and instantly sat up. She blinked the weariness out of her eyes and felt Persephonie's gaze harden on her.

"Jacko has gone missing, I fear Shard has done something to him," Raven could see the worry that blazed deep in her golden and Raven could already feel her fur bristle in fury. She did not need another friend to be murdered at her father's paws.

"If he dare lay a claw on him I promise I will protect him," Raven glanced down at Flame's body before quickly turning away; she could not bear to look at his mangled body, especially after last night. It would pain her too much and tie up knots in her belly.

Raven murmured a farewell to Persephonie before nosing her way past the tendrils; they draped lazily over her shoulders and felt almost like a comforting tail wrapping itself around her shoulders. She needed to be comforted now. Of course she had Jacko, but he could be dead for all she knew! She felt anger race through her veins as the thought reentered her mind. _Shard has already made me mad enough, if he killed Jacko I might have to rip his damned throat out!_

Raven felt a growl sputter in her throat as she exited the den, she felt the warm sunshine immediately warm her pelt and seep down to her skin. She could not bask in it though. She needed to find Jacko and fast. For all she knew, he could have his throat ripped out and being ripped apart by dogs. Though, she knew it was not right to think that way the thoughts were woven into her mind and would not escape.

Raven felt her nose twitch when she noticed a specific presence not around, Silver was nowhere to be seen along with Jacko. Surprisingly, she found Shard tussling with Frost and most of the band was surrounding them. Some cheering on Shard while others cheered on Frost. Yet, bitter words were also thrown out. When Frost had Shard pinned Willow had yowled that Shard was weak. That seemed to have set off the tom because he hauled off the white tom and barreled into him, his claws scraping along the tom's side.

_I will deal with you later_. Raven inwardly hissed as she turned away and began to charge towards the alleyway, her paws thundered against the concrete while her tail whipped wildly behind her. Her ears flattened against the wind that battered against them and her eyes scanned frantically around her in a desperate search for the ginger and black tom. She did not just make a promise to Persephonie, she made a silent promise to Hydra, the she-cat who seemed to have a dreamy eye for Jacko and Jacko seemed to feel the same for the black she-cat. Hydra seemed self-persevered and rarely spoke, yet she was extremely fierce and hostile. That must have caught Jacko's eye.

"Jacko! Jacko!" Raven called out as loud as her voice would allow her and let it echo across the walls of the alley, she prayed for a response and hoped her voice carried far enough for him to hear.

Silence. Eerie silence. Raven felt worry tug at her pelt as she repeated her call, but only the wind carried its own sound along with it as it swirled at her ears. Swoosh, swoosh. It was her response. It was an empty and cold response. _Please answer me Jacko!_

Raven skidded to a halt when she came beside the thunderpath, strangely no monsters rolled by and no twolegs were in sight. It seemed dead. No sound. No life. Raven suppressed a shiver and felt fear crawl its way up her spine. It was too quiet. It was too dead. _What is going on?_ Raven felt confusion mingle in with her fear as she let her eyes travel around her, her mouth slightly gaped open and let the wind catch on her tongue. No scents. No familiar scents.

"Jacko!" Raven suddenly called out, her voice bounced off the walls of the buildings and was drifted away with the wind, and her paws tingled with anxiety as once again no other voice rang in her ears.

Suddenly, a faint noise. A faint call bounced off of her ears and into the wind. "Raven?!" Her head swiveled around trying to figure out which way the call came from and noticed a figure, a small black figure running up to her. She wanted to believe it was Silver running up to her, his silver and black paws painted scarlet with Jacko's blood. It was a horrendous thought, she knew, but it kept replaying itself in her head.

"Raven!" The call was more audible as the figure got closer and Raven breathed a heavy sigh of relief as she recognized who it was, his ginger and black pelt was merely ruffled while his dark blue eyes glowed in the sun's rays. His throat was not pouring out blood nor was he disfigured in any way.

"I am so glad to see your face now," Raven laughed half-heartedly as she strode up to the tom, an amused purr rumbled deep within his throat as he lowered his head to rest his nose on top of her head.

"Why, did you think I was going to be eaten by a dog?" He meowed jokingly and Raven playfully shoved him, he chuckled and shoved her back. She stumbled and nearly fell over, considering how much bigger he was to her. But it made both of them burst into joyous laughter._ It is so comforting to know that I can still be happy. _

"I kind of did, Persephonie said that you were missing and Silver was not at base. I thought either you were killed by him or being ripped apart by a dog," Raven shrugged casually not wanting to show the worry and fear she had felt earlier about him, though instead of a mused purr the tom's obnoxiousness died down and he narrowed his eyes.

"You know Raven, you should not worry all of them time. I would be able to handle Silver if he ever came after me," he began to pad away and Raven felt her claws scrape along the concrete as she watched him walk away. He probably is right, he can fend for himself. Yet, if a whole bunch of dogs cane after him he would not be able to fend for himself.

Raven shook her head to try and clear her knotted mind before running forward to catch up to Jacko, now instead of his face twisted in amusement and joy his face was narrowed down into an angry twist. Raven guessed he was thinking about Shard. Jacko had been very distraught about Flame's passing. He had come in later that night and nearly curled up around Flame. Raven knew how close those two have been, and it made her heart ache in pain as she watched him bury his nose into Flame's matted fur. _My father has caused more than one cat pain_. He tore friendships apart, he tore love apart. He tore everything apart_. I wish I could stop him, but what could I do? Silver would just come back after me…_

"You know you cannot kill him," Raven glanced upwards at Jacko in surprise as they rounded the corner into the alley. He was staring at her with dead seriousness written all over his face. _Did he just read my mind?_

"Why not? I mean me and you can band together to kill him and Silver," Raven meowed and Jacko's seriousness instantaneously converted into fury. She lowered her head in attempt to avert his gaze but it merely hardened on her.

"Do you really think it is that easy? Shard has cats that will fight for him! Blade, Slash, Scorch, Fang! Should I go on?" Jacko hissed in pure anger and Raven felt a sigh push its way through her lips, he was completely right. Who was going to stand on their side? Most of the band members were Shard's followers. She and Jacko would not be able to go up against all of them. It would be an impossible victory.

Raven stayed silent as they entered base, Shard and Frost were no longer engaged in their fight and all the cats seemed to have broken up. She noticed Slash and Blade beside her father, they were whispering quietly to each other and when Raven craned her neck in attempt to hear it was to no use. Their words were exiting their mouths too quietly for her sharp ears. It is obvious that they are planning something_. I wish I had knowledge of it though._

"Do not go killing cats while I am gone alright?" Raven felt a tail flick over her ear and she noticed Jacko staring at her with soft blue eyes, his anger seemed to have vanished and a purr bubbled in his throat as he strode away. Raven knew exactly where. Hydra was lying under the shade of the one tree that grew near the wall that separated their base to the forest that lay beyond.

"Hey, Raven!" Raven turned her attention downwards when she felt a small nudge on her flank and noticed soft blue eyes staring up at her, her pupils were so enlarged with excitement that Raven could barely see the blue eyes that lay underneath.

"Let me guess, Willow wants you to engage in a fight with a dog?" Raven cuffed the tortoiseshell over the ear playfully and the trainee crouched lowly to the ground, a playful growl rumbling in her throat as she stared up at her.

"Well, yes and no. She wants me to fight Shard," that made Raven's blood stop. The trainee let out a squeak of excitement and leaped upwards in bliss as she scampered away. Raven watched her go with wide, horror filled eyes.

_She cannot be possibly excited to fight him!_ He will end up killing her! Raven felt her eyes blaze as she turned her gaze to her father. He was peacefully lapping at his paw and was oblivious of her burning gaze. She felt as if he was the one who planned the fight. She would not expect that Willow would plan such a thing; she is not that cruel the last time she checked. He only wants strong cats in the base. Dawn generally does not shed blood, maybe he planned the fight to teach her the lesson of living out here. Raven felt her muscles stiffen as the memory of Ember's flashed in her mind, her father told her to teach him a lesson but it ended with her brother dead at her paws. _Oh please do not let that be Dawn! She is too young to have a fate like that! She is too young to die!_

"Um, Raven?" Raven was dragged out of her thoughts when her thinking was interrupted by a soft voice, she turned around and noticed Persephonie staring at her with worry pricking in her eyes.

"What is it now? Is someone missing again?" Raven sneered in mock amusement and felt the pale she-cat's claws dig into her tail. Raven felt pain rush up her tail and she snapped at the she-cat with rage building in her eyes.

"What was that for?!" Raven hissed and Persephonie merely let out a sigh as she settled herself down beside the black she-cat, the pale she-cat's paw was folded and seemed to be cradling something. Raven tipped her head in curiosity and felt Persephonie's nose tap lightly against her ear.

"I wanted to tell you this last night but I thought I might as well wait until today," the she-cat's voice was so low that it made it extremely hard to hear her, even when her mouth was right by her ear.

"I found this in between Flame's claws," Persephonie's paw unfolded and Raven's eyes widened when she saw a ball of fur in her paw, it was silver tabby and had specks of blood mingled in with it.

"It was not Shard who killed Flame, it was Silver," Raven felt rage begin to burn inside of her belly as she imagined Silver forcing down Flame, his long claws scoring down the tom's belly and raking along his throat. Blood spewing everywhere. While Flame struggled helplessly under Silver his claws caught into his fur and managed to rip out a chunk of silver tabby fur from him.

"But Shard was right about Scarlet, a dog came and…" Raven raised her paw up for silence before the she-cat could finish and felt her anger brewing inside of her. _Silver killed Flame? Why? What cause did he have to do it? What did he do to deserve it?! Along with Scarlet!_

"Flame was trying to protect your mother, Raven," Persephonie lifted herself to her paws and left the ball of fur to lie beside Raven before padding back towards her den. Raven felt her heart ache and she felt herself fall to the concrete. She felt somewhat angry that Flame went on to protect Scarlet, but she also felt somewhat happy that he did. He tried to protect what seemed left of her loved ones. He wanted her to be happy. But he failed; he was slain by Silver before he could help her.

Flame and Scarlet will be avenged, but it will be extremely difficult to do. What was she going to do? Raven glanced downwards at the ball of fur beside her and forced a sigh through her lips. _I wish I could just kill them. I wish it was easy for me to kill them as easy as it was for them to kill cats._

_One day peace will come, one day Shard and Silver's icy grips on us will release. Maybe one day we will be able to live in somewhat peace. One day Shard and Silver will become silent, one day they will no longer have rein on us._

_One day…_

* * *

**So, we found out that Jacko can read minds! :O  
**

**Just kidding! XD But we did find out that Shard did not kill Flame, yet Scarlet was still attacked by a dog. Oh what a wonderful world Raven lives in!**

**But still, she seeks revenge yet how will she get it? **

**QOTD: I am asking this again because we were introduced to more characters, who is your favorite cat? (They can be dead XD)**

**Read and review! :) It is greatly appreciated! :)**

**Dawn's going to be getting in trouble if she fights Shard! D:**


	10. Chapter 9: Pride and Horror

_"Come on Dawn, you can beat him!"_

Raven felt her screech drown out in the other yowls that filled the air; fear was prickling at her pelt as she watched the small tortoiseshell she-cat bat at Shard's head. Her blue eyes were wild with nervousness and fury, while Shard's icy eyes were burning with excitement and blood-lust. Seeing those eyes made Raven's worry factor sky rocket. He wanted to feel Dawn's blood seep between his claws. He wanted to hear her cry in agony. He wanted to kill her.

"Do not let him beat you, Dawn!" The furious yowl erupted from Frost, who was planted firmly next to Willow. His dark-colored eyes blazing with rage and anger, while Willow sat silently, watching the fight with blank blue eyes focused on her trainee.

The tortoiseshell she-cat had exhaustion written all over her face, Shard was testing her limits and he seemed to have noticed the fury in the trainee's eyes to die down. This meant he was going to close in while she was in her weaker state. His claws were now reaching upwards and cuffing her over the ears. Raven watched with terrified eyes as the she-cat stumbled backwards with blood trickling down her face. Her blue eyes were dazed, obviously dizzy from the continuous batting to the head from Shard's large paws. He swiftly leaped at her and barreled over her, pushing the she-cat to the concrete.

"Dawn, redeem yourself!" Raven cried out to the she-cat with a trembling voice and she noticed the tortoiseshell's eyes turned to her for an instant before Shard's claws connected to her face.

Raven's heart twisted in pain as the she-cat struggled helplessly underneath Shard's weight, Shard had his paws pressed against Dawn's throat and seemed to be putting all pressure on his paws. Dawn's eyes were widening in horror and let out a cry of protest as she continued to wriggle underneath of the dark tabby. At least she continued to fight for her life, and she seemed to have some type of hope of getting out of this fight without getting severely wounded. Raven hoped Dawn would embrace that hope and plead it to grow.

"Seems that you have given up," Shard bitterly hissed and shoved his muzzle into the trainee's face, his lips curled backwards in a devilish smirk and his eyes glimmering with amusement.

"I am never giving up! I am not going to let you kill me!" Dawn screeched in fury and new energy seemed to have surged into the she-cat's veins, her claws penetrated deeply into Shard's shoulders and used all of her strength to haul the tom off. Raven noticed the surprise that came across Shard's face as he stumbled backwards.

"Go Dawn!" Cheers exploded from the crowded cats and Raven joined in with the chorus of yowls and cries. Shard obviously wasn't pleased that everyone was cheering on the trainee instead of him, but he seemed to ignore the obnoxious screeches that rounded him, while Dawn seemed to be absorbing each and every encouraging word.

The tortoiseshell she-cat sprinted forward and lunged forward, her paws were outstretched and her eyes were now glowing with excitement. Her new sense of energy was overwhelming her it seemed, which made it possible for her to defeat Shard in the battle. It made Raven's worry factor lower down to lower ranks, yet there was a small drip of worry that still hung in her body. Shard will not give up easily.

Dawn tumbled into Shard and her claws immediately found themselves in his skin, a provoked snarl bubbled in the tom's throat as he tried to rip the trainee from his pelt. Yet, the she-cat clung on and continued to penetrate his skin with tooth and claw. No longer did fear or nervousness radiate from the tortoiseshell; no longer did her eyes shake with fear and terror. Determination and bravery glowed in her blue eyes. She certainly was not going to give up easily as well.

Suddenly, Shard collapsed to the concrete, Dawn falling alongside him. Her claws were still buried deeply in his pelt and her teeth were still attached to his scruff. She had actually managed to push him down! Raven's eyes widened in surprise as Dawn ripped away from Shard, tearing a chunk of fur from his pelt and a small piece of skin jumbled in with the fur. Shard didn't even move though, he lay motionless and his eyes were tightly shut. What is wrong with him?

Dawn cautiously stepped away from the band leader; her claws were still unsheathed her lips were curled backwards, revealing her thorn-sharp teeth. But Shard never arose to his paws, his body was still and his flank didn't rise or fall. Dawn didn't seem to notice though; she didn't need to care what happened to him. Cats were already gathering around her, throwing compliments at her face and cheering her on. Raven noticed the she-cat's blue eyes enlarged in happiness and excitement, once again taking in all of the encouraging words into her system.

"Great battle, Dawn," Dawn's eyes turned upon her two mentors who were strolling up to the crowd, both of their eyes glimmering with pride as the stared down at their trainee and the tortoiseshell's eyes glowed even bright in joy.

Raven strode forward towards the she-cat, feeling relief wash over her a billion times. It was nice to know that Dawn would not be leaving her without a slit throat or a gashed belly, but only the pride that overwhelmed her and the endless cheers from her base-mates. She would not have to hear taunts whisper endlessly in her ears or feel Shard's dark wraith for being too weak.

"I am proud of you, Dawn," Raven meowed as she finally was at the trainee's side, a purr erupted from the tortoiseshell and Raven felt her nose bury deeply into her shoulder fur.

"Thank you, Raven," Raven could barely hear the soft whisper that escaped from Dawn and Raven wrapped her tail around the tortoiseshell's shoulders to bring her closer. For some reason, it felt as if she needed to protect her, some type of urge forcing her to make sure that Dawn was alright.

Kind of what Scarlet would always act towards her.

* * *

The moon casted a silvery light down on the base and the stars sparkled and danced around the large circle. No clouds drifted among the sky and no winds ruffled Raven's pelt. She could say that finally once, it was a peaceful night. After many nights of dread and pain, it was nice to have a night where no cat was getting brutally murdered or bleeding to death. No yowls of agony echoed off of the stone walls, only the songs of crickets as they sung the night a sweet lullaby.

If only it could have stayed like that.

An ear-splitting screech broke the peace and Raven felt every bone in her body strain. Who was the victim tonight? Whose skin is being pierced with sharp claws? Whose blood is oozing out of their body? Raven suddenly felt an uncomfortable feeling bubble up inside of her. The cries continued to split through the air and it sounded like the most agonizing sound that has ever reached her ears. Something awful was obviously happening, and it was bothering Raven to the breaking point.

She pushed herself to her paws and took a swift glance around her, she shouldn't leave her post but she would take the risks. She just was curious to see what the agonized screeches were coming from and who they were coming from. It sent shivers up through her spine as she imagined what might be happening. Something getting ripped apart by a fearsome creature, a cat getting its throat ripped out.

Raven shook her head to clear it of the nasty thoughts and sprinted forward, towards the cries. Her paws were shaking with each new paw-step and her body felt somewhat numb. She didn't want to see the gruesome scene that may lie in front of her, yet she felt like she needed to see what it was. It was an urge that continued to tug at her, pulling her towards the painful screeches. It was odd, but she went along with it.

Raven rounded the corner that led out of the alley and immediately halted at what lay in front of her. Her eyes widened in horror and her body began to tremble in terror. Blood was everywhere. Blood was soaking her paws. And a body laid a few fox-lengths in front of her. It was a mangled, blood-soaked silver tabby tom.

Raven stiffened when a sudden voice sounded behind her. It was laced with menace and mock humor.

"Why hello, Raven."


	11. SPECIAL: Shard and Scarlet's Story

**If you listen to Love "The Way You Lie-Part 2" with this, it matches pretty well. **

* * *

8 Months of Age

"_You are such an idiot, Silver!"_

"_How dare you call me such a thing! At least I have the wits to continue to fight!"_

"_I am surprised your throat is not ripped apart by now!"_

_Scarlet watched silently as the toms bickered with each other, a purr of amusement rumbling in her throat. It was certainly entertaining to watch them argue over the smallest of things, she felt as if she could watch them all day and be content. It's certainly better than being forced to fight dogs and the other trainees for worthless reasons. Yet, she went along with it because she feared of what her mentor, Reaper, would do to her. He pushed her to her limits while training and she was always forced to get up at the first signs of dawn. It made her irritated but she followed his orders obediently._

"_You are annoying you know that, Silver?" Shard growled in annoyance and the silver tabby's lips merely curved upwards in a devilish smirk, causing Shard's icy eyes to burn with hatred. And as quick as a lighting strike, the dark tabby was barreling over the other tom._

"_Oh come on Shard, you are way too sensitive!" Silver's laugh overpowered Shard's provoked snarls and Scarlet watched with widened eyes as the gray tabby scored his claws down the silver tabby's sides, not showing any kinds of mercy. _

"_Shard, stop!" Scarlet suddenly called out, afraid that Shard would hurt her brother and the gray tabby's eyes flashed her way, so much anger and fury was glowing in his blue eyes and Scarlet lifted her chin upwards, trying not to show any cowardice or fear. She couldn't in front of him at least._

_Shard let out a snort of disgust and released his grip on Silver's pelt, the silver tabby snickered and pushed himself to his paws, blood trickling down through his pelt. Scarlet quickly made her way over to her littermate, hoping he wasn't too badly injured. Though, as she got closer the amusement and cheerfulness in Silver's blue eyes dwindled away into rage, in which Scarlet felt confusion wash over her. _

"_I did not need your help! I was perfectly capable of defeating him!" The tom suddenly lashed out and Scarlet felt her paws take her backwards. She didn't understand why her brother was acting so rage-full towards her, she only wanted to help him!_

_Scarlet felt her claws scrape along the concrete ground and felt her brother's gaze burn into her lowered head. "I do not need help from you. I never will." Scarlet heard the malice that laced in the word's her brother spat and she shifted her gaze upwards to watch him stalk away, leaving her to be alone, leaving her to lay in bewilderment and anger._

_What is wrong with him?! He was perfectly fine with me today up to this moment! Scarlet yowled in her head and she felt her lips curl backwards to reveal her thorn-sharp teeth to nothing in particular. It was not pleasing to let Silver yell at her like she was nothing, like she was not important in his life. It made her furious to think about it, yet why had his mood changed so fast? What clicked in him?_

"_Scarlet, you look childish like that, stop it," Scarlet's head shot upwards at the amused-filled voice and noticed Shard staring down at her with those blue eyes of his, they weren't burning with as much bitterness as they were before, it was simply glittering with amusement and slightly still sparking with a tinge of animosity. _

_Scarlet just realized that her lips were still curled backwards and she immediately felt her pelt heat up in embarrassment as she coiled them back against her teeth. She probably looked ridiculous like that and she wanted to mentally smack herself in the head for doing it. Yet, she thought it was reasonable for her to have done it._

"_What, you do not like my smile?" Scarlet joked and she heard a purr bubble up in the large tom's throat, causing one of her own to slip from her vocal cords. All of the boiled up anger seemed to have been dissolving now and was being extinguished by something like happiness and warmth._

"_I actually do, though you looked stupid when you were staring at the ground with a snarl held in your throat," Shard meowed coolly and Scarlet felt a snicker rise in her throat, the gray tabby joined in with her and she cracked a smile up at him. In response, he curved his lips backwards in his own smile, which merely looked like a smirk but Scarlet didn't care. As long as no hostility glazed his eyes then there was no reason to feel anything but joy towards him._

2 Years Later

_The drooping sun was allowing the awaiting shadows lengthen and the hiding stars peek from their hiding places. A light breeze flowed peacefully through the air, making any human debris the lay on the road or anywhere to be exact, to dance along with it. Nothing made a sound, not even a peep. The crickets didn't even come out to sing the night a lullaby. The only thing that stirred was the whispering of the night in which whisked calmly through the air. _

_Scarlet was below the wonders of the night sky, gazing up at the twinkling stars with widened, awe-struck eyes. Of course, she has seen many night skies in her lifetime, yet this one seemed different. The stars seemed to be shining brighter. The breeze seemed sweeter. And everything just seemed all so peaceful. It made a warm sensation pass through her veins and a smile break on her face. After a long and heartwarming greenleaf early leaf-fall didn't seem much different oddly. Scarlet didn't complain though, it was quite enjoyable and she didn't want to waste any minute of it wishing for the warm days of greenleaf back. _

_Scarlet inhaled the air with a deep breath and let in all of the scents of the night flow through her nostrils and into her mouth. Something sweet it seems. Though, she couldn't pick out exactly what it was. She was deeply curious and wanted her paws to carry her towards the scent, but not one inch of her body moved. Not one muscle strained. Not one bone clicked. Even her eyes didn't blink or twitch. Her focus was now just pointed towards the horizon, where the scent had drifted from. The dim light made it difficult to see what lay in front of her, but she could pick out outlines of structures in the moon's light and she held back the urge to tip her head sideways. What are they? Are they buildings? _

_Suddenly, all silence was broken. A shrill cry cracked the empty air and echoed through the night. Scarlet swiftly leaped to her paws and felt her eyes travel anxiously around her. She felt her heartbeat quicken as another cry split the air. Where was it coming from!? Scarlet's mind was whirling and more cats began to pour out of the abandoned den, their eyes were weary yet were wide in terror. _

"_HELP ME!" A yowl of agony filled her ears and Scarlet felt her eyes enlarge when she noticed a figure running down the alleyway, in which led into Base. She noticed sparks dancing from the cat's pelt and it's eyes were so wide, she thought that they would just pop out of its head any second._

_Scarlet felt her paws push her towards the cat, its tortured cries continuing to crack the night air. Many cats followed in suit behind her, eager to see who the cat was and what was wrong with it. And as Scarlet got closer she felt her heart beat even faster, causing a great lump to form in her throat. She wanted to rip her ears off to avoid hearing the cries of pain anymore, though she knew it wasn't possible. The only priority right now was to help the cat. _

_Scarlet skidded to a halt as she closed in on the cat and felt all of the blood run cold in her system. It was Reaper, and his pelt was blazing with fire! Scarlet wasn't able to catch her former mentor as he tumbled to the ground but she immediately began to push her paws against the flames, ignoring the searing pain that it sent up through her pads and up into her legs. Reaper looked so small and weak lying on the ground, which made Scarlet's heart twist in pain. Of course, she always wanted to knock this tom upside the head with a large rock, but she had known him for such a long time and she always wanted to thank him for what he taught her. _

"_Scarlet, what is going on?" A voice sounded gruffly behind her and she quickly picked up the cat that the voice belonged to. She didn't give the cat any attention though, she was too busy pushing down on the sparks that flew from Reaper's black pelt. _

"_G-Ghost, I-I…" Reaper managed to sputter before his whole body twitched and he became completely still, his flank no longer raised and his cries no longer split Scarlet's ears. She felt panic and shock grip onto her and she stared blankly down at the black tom. His dark blue eyes were now glazed over and were gazing upwards towards the sky, his mouth slightly parted, unable to get his final words through. _

"_Idiot, getting himself set on fire," a sneer sounded behind her and she whipped around to face the being who dared say it, it was the band leader, Ghost, whose pelt shone brighter than any of the others. The moon casting a silvery glow down on his pelt, making him almost a silvery-white glow himself. _

"_He did not deserve to die, Ghost!" Scarlet snapped angrily and a snort erupted from the tom, causing anger to boil up in Scarlet's stomach and her claws to bury themselves into the concrete below her._

"_Of course not Scarlet, but if he did not deserve to die, then why did he come running down the alleyway, crying like a damned idiot!?" That caused a few snickers to flow through the gathered cats, which made Scarlet's rage only grow stronger. She held back the urge to lunge at Ghost and gauge his eyes out. He was an irritating tom who could easily cause her to get heated. He was an ungrateful rat-heart who has no care for his Band-mates, in which most of them follow in suit with him and take on his ungratefulness. _

"_Let us leave little Scarlet to grieve for her mentor," Ghost hissed bitterly and turned to shoulder his way through the crowded cats, most of them sent angry glares her way but she merely curled his lips back in a beginning of a provoked snarl at them before turning her attention back down to Reaper. _

_Scarlet lowered her muzzle and, to her own surprise, began to gently lap at the tom's pelt. Many parts of his fur were missing and red, blistered skin was the only thing that was left in the flames wake. Though, as she lapped at his matted fur she also felt the roughness of something other than the fur rub up against her tongue._

_Ashes._

_Scarlet quickly spat out the little pieces that were left by the flames and she pushed a sigh through her lips. She felt disappointment now burn over her anger. Silver wasn't here to comfort her grieving heart, he was probably laughing with his friends, saying how weak she was and needed to grow up. Now grief was racking her body. Her mentor was dead, her Band didn't seem to care, and her own brother wasn't even here for her! There seemed like there was no one left who cared about her._

"_Scarlet?" She turned her head at the soft voice and her eyes met icy blue ones, they were glimmering with friendliness and softness, in which Scarlet hasn't seen since her mother, who was killed by Ghost in a fight. Though, seeing these warmth-filled eyes made her sorrow almost dry up a bit._

"_Hey, Shard," Scarlet murmured in response and turned to look back down at the motionless body that lay at her paws, she didn't even move when she felt the gray tabby settle himself down beside her. _

"_You know, that was quite impressive the way you were prodding on the flames like that," his voice almost sounded shaky and Scarlet could feel the heat evaporating from the tom's pelt. And his posture, in which he was slumped over and staring up at her, though past her, he looked almost awkward like. _

"_Well, it is not very smart, my pads are burning!" Scarlet was so distracted amongst her thoughts that she managed to push way the pain in her paws, in which she wished she could have kept it that way because now that she was in full focus in reality the burning sensation was stronger than ever. _

"_But still…" There it is again, that smirk. Scarlet always wondered if he was actually trying to smile and that smirk just came naturally, or that his smirk was actually his smile. Though, it always made her smile and made her heart feel a little bit warmer. _

"_You know Scarlet, I do not see why some cats disregard you. You are friendly, funny, and everything a cat could ask for!" Shard mewed in a slightly cheerful voice and Scarlet stared at him in disbelief, she could never imagine this tom, this hard-headed and feisty tom saying those words to her. Where did these words come from in his mind? And why would he be saying it to me?!_

"_W-Well, thanks I guess," Scarlet stuttered feeling her pelt heat up, embarrassment was cascading over her like a gigantic wave and she certainly didn't like it. This tom had his ways of making her feel embarrassed and light-hearted at the same time. Why did she have to feel like this around him? Her stomach always knotted up in front of him and she always had some type of trouble talking to him._

"_Scarlet, I have something to confess to you," Shard's blue eyes sparkled brightly in the moonlight and Scarlet turned her head away to avert the warmness that glittered in their depths. That's when she felt his tail wrap around her and felt his tongue rasp over her ears, which made her pelt heat to the limit. What is he doing!? _

"_I wanted to say that I l-love you," his voice echoed softly in Scarlet's ears and reality finally came and smacked her in the face. All of this time, the reason why he would talk to her is because he actually loved her! And that's the reason why she always felt her heart flutter upwards in her chest when she was talking to him. It felt as if her body was full of sparks while talking to him. Burning brightly like fires and sparking like embers._

_Embers._

_Yes, embers. Small, yet strong. _

3 Month Later

"_Scarlet, your eyes shine so brightly in the moonlight."_

"_Oh, you are flattering me, Shard." _

"_I know I am."_

_Humorous words spilled out in the air as Scarlet stared up at the starry sky, alongside Shard, who was pressed close to her and had his tail entwined with hers. Affection was glowing in his blue eyes as he stared down at her and she could merely purr happily at the softness in their deep depths. And this night seemed cold because of the bitter winds, but with Shard pressed so tightly against her she only felt warmth course through her. _

"_I love you so much you know that right?" Scarlet felt his warm breath billow in her ears and she lifted her muzzle so that she could rub it against his chin, purrs erupting from both of them._

"_Of course I do you big fur-ball," Scarlet teased and Shard's purr was overlapped by a playful growl, before she could react she felt him barrel into her and push her downwards. She let out a mew of protest, acting as if it was a cry full of agony and terror. While Shard continued to let out playful noises in replacement of snarls and growls. _

_Finally, his paws were pressed against her shoulders and she stared up at him with eyes wide in mock terror. He was staring down at her with his signature smirk plastered on his face and she felt the tugging on her own lips as they tried to pull backwards in a smile._

"_Do you give up!?" Shard pushed his muzzle into her face with amusement glittering in his eyes and Scarlet suppressed a sigh in defeat, in which she let her body grow limp. Though, Shard didn't climb off of her. _

"_What are you waiting for you big lump? Your paws are putting a damper on my shoulders," Scarlet wiggled as she tried to free herself from the gray tabby's grip, but his paws merely pressed harder against her shoulders. She felt confusion take over her and she tipped her head up at him._

"_What is it?" She noticed that his eyes were scanning around them and Scarlet noticed the irritation that burned in the tom's eyes. She wanted to know what was aggravating him so much._

"_Nothing," he quickly shook his head and Scarlet felt the pressure on her shoulders loosen, she rolled onto her side and rolled her shoulders blades in attempts of loosening the strained muscles. _

_Shard settled down beside her and rested his head on her neck, she could see the uneasiness that was lying in his eyes though she held her tongue. She decided to just curl up around the tabby and rest her head on his back. Her eyelids were becoming gradually heavier and she let them drape over her eyes. She pushed away the concern for Shard for now and just went on the thought of the love she felt right now. Being curled around him made everything somewhat calmer and she almost felt as if the uneasiness had drained away from Shard. _

_Before her world fell apart and dissolved into the dream world, she silently called out to the tabby through her mind._

_Goodnight, love. Sweet dreams. _

1 Month Later

_Scarlet was engulfed in blackness._

_No sound bounced off of her ears._

_No images came into viewpoint. _

_It was as if everything was almost dead._

_That's when suddenly, like a flash of lightning, her world became bright again. Images zoomed through her mind, too fast for her to catch even the slightest of glimpses at them. Her mind was becoming a whirlwind of pictures and it began to make her head throb. What was going on? What is this!?_

"_Run Scarlet, run!" A voice cried in her ears and she felt sheer terror run through her, she didn't know what was going on and she never liked that feeling. It would eat away from her and cause her to go crazy. She never liked this feeling and never will._

"_The raven will cry, while the ember will die," the voice was now lowered to a whisper now and one of the flickering pictures in her mind came to real life. It was a small fire, in which was smaller than any regular fire. It was more like an ember. Though, there was a shrill and a black creature came swooping downwards towards the ember. Scarlet recognized the winged creature as a raven. And, just like that, it flew through the flame, though as it came out on the other side the ember had dissipated. _

"_The ash will feel pain, while the shard will gain," another flickering image became visible and this time it was of the raven again, and Scarlet was able to pick out pieces of ash he clung to the raven's feathers. That's when something was flying upwards towards the bird, and there was a cry of pain as whatever was thrown upwards at the creature went through the bird. It came crashing downwards and the ash lifted from its feathers. While a bloody shard of glass lay floating through the air. _

"_You will die!" The voice was raised to a cry again and this image was thrown to Scarlet like a claw to the face, it was her and Silver. Then, in a matter of seconds Scarlet watched her image-self get attacked by this creature. Blood was everywhere and it sickened Scarlet._

_Scarlet felt herself falling back into the darkness again. Her heart was pounding in her chest and the words that the voice had said continued to relay themselves over and over again in her head. _

"_The raven will cry, while the ember will die. The ash will feel pain, while the shard will gain. You will die!"_

Half a Month Later

"_What do you mean you are having kits!?"_

"_Why do you say it like that?" _

_Shard was staring at Scarlet with fury burning in his icy eyes and Scarlet was staring at him with confusion and disbelief hiding in her own eyes depths. Her mate was pacing back and forth in front of the dumpster with a twisted emotion painted on his face._

"_I have no time for pathetic scraps of fur!" Shard glared in her direction and Scarlet took a step backwards, feeling pain grip her heart with its icy claws. Why was he acting like this? Why isn't he happy that I am giving him kits!?_

"_Just get out of my face you pathetic she-cat!" Scarlet felt her eyes widen as the stinging words reached her ears and she felt her eyes fill, Shard's eyes were burning with so much hatred and his long claws were scraping along the concrete as he continued to pace. _

"_What did I tell you? Leave!" Shard curled his lips backwards in a menacing snarl and Scarlet swiftly turned and bounded away, feeling all kinds of emotions fall down on her. Pain, sorrow, grief, anger, and even more that she couldn't count. A large lump had formed in her throat and her stomach had become a knotted mess. Her eyes were filling with water, in which she held back the urge to let her barriers break. _

_Scarlet finally collapsed in a spot where she could be in solitude, which was the place where she and Shard would curl around each other at night and sleep together. Though now, it was going to become cold and dark. She buried her face in her paws and felt her body shudder. Why did he do this to me? Why did he make me feel this pain!? I don't deserve this…_

_Scarlet slid her eyes upwards so that she could put her attention back on Shard, who was till pacing but now Silver was beside him. Scarlet felt grief overwhelm her as she continued to gaze at the two toms and she felt one thought continue to loop around in her head. Along with the many others but this one stuck out the most._

_I will still love you two. No matter what…_

* * *

**So, now we know Scarlet and Shard's back story. Pretty intense right?  
**

**QOTD: What do you think of Shard and Scarlet in this story?**


	12. Chapter 10: In Cold Blood

_"Scorch?"_ Raven's mew trembled with disbelief and laced with shock. The ginger tom had an amused look on his face, yet his eyes burned with malic and hatred.

"Why so scared, Raven? Do you not like my little gift I left for you?" Raven felt sheer terror pulse through her veins as the larger tom towered over her, she noticed that his paws were glimmering scarlet in the moonlight and his long, curved claws were painted crimson.

"W-Why? What reason did you have?" Raven stuttered as she took another large step back, though she only felt more blood squish under her pads and the stench of death was quickly filling her mouth and nose, sickening her.

"He was next in line that is why! Your brother made a deal with me, yet I have no reasons to share that with you," he hissed bitterly and Raven took a swift glance downwards at the body by her back paws, the silver tabby fur was matted in clumps of blood while its throat was severely slit open. End to end. While the tabby's stomach was ripped apart, blood pooling out of the wound and pouring onto the concrete. Raven felt bile fill her throat, but she didn't let it spill out of her mouth.

"I am surprised that you are not jumping up and down like an idiot, thanking me for killing that damned cat," Scorch laughed savagely and Raven felt her gaze slowly turn back towards the tom, he was staring at her with anticipation mixed with all different kinds of hatred. Raven knew though that he was right, Silver deserved what was given to him, yet Scorch should have never killed him. Shard will find out eventually, and end up slitting Scorch's throat, along with Ash's for planning alongside of him. Raven wanted to go to her brother now and smack him in the head for being such a careless idiot.

"You are not going to tell are you?" Scorch seemed more intimidating now as he loomed closer to Raven, her heart was beating rapidly in her chest and she felt fear drain into her system, leaking out any courage or fierceness that may have lain inside.

That's when he suddenly lunged forward. Raven had no time to react as the tom barreled into her and knocked her sideways, away from Silver's body. Raven felt the ginger tom's claws rake along her pelt and his fangs finding anywhere to latch themselves onto. Raven was struggling to get her flailing paws attached to Scorch's pelt so that she could bury her own claws into his skin. Raven didn't know what was coming over her. Raven didn't know how to free herself from this crazy tom's grasp. It was terrifying. An emotion she hasn't felt for some time.

Scorch had thrown her roughly against the concrete and Raven felt his paws push against her shoulders, Raven now could struggled feebly under his weight and prayed he wouldn't run his claws down her stomach or along her throat. And she could only stare up into those golden eyes of his, while fear evaporated from her; wild excitement was rushing off of him.

"Now, tell me, are you going to go telling your daddy what I did?" Scorch shoved his muzzle into her face and Raven had no other choice, she quickly nodded and a satisfied purr rumbled deep in his throat. All pressure from her shoulders had loosened and she swiftly leapt to her paws. This tom was also an idiot.

As quickly as she was on her paws she was on the run, she heard a provoked snarl escape from Scorch and she heard his paws thunder madly against the concrete. Raven knew she could outrun him; his muscles would slow him down. She was small and for some reason she had lost some of the muscle she had grown over her life. Yet, she didn't care now. She was almost grateful that she did lose the muscle.

"Shard! Shard!" Raven let out a cry in hopes of her father hearing, though she noticed that the words that slipped from her mouth were trembling and shaky. She hated that they did escape that way, yet she couldn't help it. There was a murderer behind her, even if he did slay that one cat that always pushed Raven's buttons, yet she couldn't afford to have another cat like him at Base. He needed to be taught a lesson. And Raven prayed he would get banished because he killed the leader next in line.

Raven swerved into the alleyway and felt her lungs screaming for her to stop, but she continued to carry her paws down the long corridor, not wanting to stop. She began to notice figures appear in her vantage point and she felt her heart lurch in her chest. She hoped they would help her with Scorch and not laugh, saying that she was a weakling and a coward.

"Raven?" She skidded to a halt when she recognized the bright ginger pelt of Jacko, his eyes were shaking with worry and other cats began to crowd around him, their eyes full of curiosity and possibly a tinge of fear. Though, Raven wasn't focused enough to care. Her attention was on her father, who was staring at her with narrowed blue eyes.

"What is the meaning of this, Raven? Running down the alley like an idiot and screaming like you are dying?" The dark tabby sneered but Raven did not want to hear his bitter words. Her pelt stung from the scratches and her breaths continuously got caught in her throat. She felt as if she could not move another straining muscle, yet she needed to show them what Scorch did.

"F-Follow me," Raven puffed out a large breath and turned back the way she came; she realized that Scorch was no longer behind her and she felt confusion wash over her. Where did he go?

Raven shook her head and began to bound forward again, feeling her muscles scream for her to stop and her lungs seemed to be bursting from the lack of oxygen that she failed to give to them, but she didn't stop. She wanted Scorch to get punished as quickly as possible. Though a thought continued to race through her mind. What if Shard does approve of what Scorch did? What if he was to say that Silver was weak and Scorch was stronger than him.

Raven shook her head, not able to believe the thoughts. She had heard from her mother that Silver and Shard had been the closest of friends for the longest of time. She would always see them together as well, so she wouldn't expect her father to just disregard Silver and get on with life like nothing happened. Like he just killed an innocent cat. He would just flick the blood off of his paw and shrug, saying that the cat was useless and weak.

_Just like Ember…Cinder…Scarlet...Flame…_ Raven felt her eyes fill though she did not let any liquid seep down her fur. She couldn't think about them right now. She can't dwell in her pain like she has been. She needed to save many more cats' lives, protect them from another murderer. It was bad enough they have Shard, along with Blade and Slash.

Raven rounded the corner and her eyes widened in surprise, Silver's body wasn't the only body lying sprawled out on the concrete. A ginger body was motionless beside him. And with seeing this, immense anger and rage began to brew up inside of her stomach. _What did Scorch think he was doing?!_

"Raven, what is going on here?" Raven felt her father's pelt brush up against her own and she cringed away from him, not liking the touch. Though, he showed neither anger nor complete rage in his icy eyes. No, it almost seemed like pain that was burning in their depths. Raven suddenly felt a strange urge, the urge to push her muzzle into his neck and whisper to him, saying that it was going to be okay, but she didn't bring herself to do it, especially what she felt towards him. Maybe before he destroyed her life she would have.

"S-Shard," Raven's ears perked at the trembling voice and noticed that Scorch's once motionless body had shifted, his golden eyes were now glued on the gray tabby and Raven could pick out the mock pain that glimmered in them. This made her sick. She had that feeling that Scorch was up to something, it knotted up her stomach and she felt her throat tighten. _What was he going to do?_

"Scorch, what happened?" Shard's eyes flickered to Silver's bloody body and Raven heard him intake a large breath of air, as if trying to put together what scene was in front of him. Trying to put together that his best friend was lying mangled and broken at his paws. Raven now knew that her father had some type of weakness in him, which caused her heart to voluntarily wrench in pain.

"R-Raven, she had attacked S-Silver, I t-tried to save him, b-but she turned on m-me. C-Check in between his claws and y-you will see," the ginger tom sputtered and as soon as those words hit her ears, Raven felt all sympathy dwindle away from her body and was immediately conversed into fury. She felt her father's glare land on her as he picked his way over to Silver's body and gingerly lifted a black-and-silver paw, she could have sworn she had heard him gasp and he ripped backwards.

"Scorch speaks of the truth, Raven did kill him!" The dark gray tabby turned around to reveal what lay in his paw, and their lay a single puff of black fur. Raven's eyes stretched upwards in bewilderment and pure surprise. _How in the world did he get a piece of my fur?!_ Images then flashed into her mind of the fight that she and Scorch had only minutes ago, she remembered his claws hooking into her pelt and the pain she felt. He had managed to rip out a piece of her fur, he had it all planned!

"I did not kill Silver!" Raven hissed feeling the fur on her neck bristle as she felt all of the gathered cats eyes landed on her, all flickering with a variety of emotions. Some anger, some surprise, and then some were glimmering in shock. It was easy for her to pick out Dawn and Jacko amongst the group, their eyes were widened and full of terror. She wanted to call out to them, telling them that it was a mistake, yet they both turned away to avert her gaze which caused her heart to once again twist in pain.

"You have all the right reasons to, you hated him because of what he did to you!" A mocking sneer came from the group and she instantaneously recognized the voice, the dark gray tom was maneuvering his way through the cats, a devilish glint in his green eyes and a large smirk plastered on her face. Raven curled her lips backwards in a snarl and felt the fur along her back rise upwards.

"I am not that stupid, Slash! If I were to kill him I would get banished, your real culprit is Scorch! He killed Silver and attacked me!" Raven let out a defiant hiss and she let her claws side from their sockets, feeling nervousness now taking over her system. Why could they not believe her? Why can't they understand that she didn't do it?!

"There is clear proof that you did it, Raven! We are not that stupid either," Shard's gaze snapped back to her and his lips were trembling in a growl; his icy eyes were glinting with pain and burning with pure rage. His long claws were scraping along the concrete, causing Raven's paws to carry her backwards, away from the position she was in before, feeling fear begin to evaporate from her heated fur.

"She deserves to be exiled!"

"She deserves to be killed for her actions!"

Yowls erupted from the gathered cats and Raven felt her head lower to try and avert all of the anger-filed eyes burn into her pelt. Shard was merely glaring down at her with eyes full of fury. He didn't make a move to stop the crying cats, nor did he make a move to speak. She felt uneasiness cascade over her as she stared into his blue eyes, searching for any sign of mercy or forgiveness. She needed that now. It was obvious that they all believed Scorch; no cat would believe any statement that she would put out. They would only cry out, saying she deserved to have her neck slit open.

Finally, Shard seemed to have been ripped from his daze and he lifted his muzzle upwards towards the sky to let out a yowl, a yowl that overpowered all of the others and the gathered cats immediately grew silent. He then turned his narrowed eyes down upon her and his lips were curling backwards to reveal his teeth, a snarl beginning to erupt from his throat.

"Raven, because of your actions, you are no longer apart of The Blood Alliances, and if we ever catch you on territory, we will kill you on the spot," Raven felt disbelief crash down onto her and she felt all kinds of thoughts whirling around in her head. She never understood Shard's ways, and this time she just wanted to yowl out all of her anger. Her father was only banishing her because of their relationship now and the fact that "she" killed Silver. He most likely would not have banished Scorch for killing Silver, but probably would have given him a nice beating. He would not have banished him though.

"Leave now!" Shard's fury-filled cry ripped her from her thoughts and Raven felt as if she could not move; she believed that it was the shock that was taking over her muscles and turning them into stone, holding her down. She the rage growing in her father's eyes and she wished the shock would dwindle away from her so that she could run away from her father's gaze.

"Get her," Shard turned his attention away from her for a split second before two shadows launched themselves at her, Raven immediately recognized the two figures were and had no time to flee. They both fell onto her and she felt their claws dig into her fur. She felt cries of pain erupt from her throat and she found herself struggling helplessly underneath both cats weight. _Slash and Blade, these two will end up killing me before I have a chance to get away!_

Raven gathered up all of the energy she had begun to build up and gripped her claws into both of the cats shoulders, and without a fury of hisses and snarls, did the black she-cat manage to haul the two off of her. And, as quick as lighting, did she bolt up onto her paws and began to sprint down the alley that would take her to the Base. She knew of one way she could take that she could use to escape these maniacs. Though, the pressure that she was putting on her straining muscles was so barely bearable and she felt pain roll over her over and over again. She didn't dare to slow down though, because she knew that the whole Band was behind her, desperate to reach her, desperate to feel her blood on their paws, desperate to hear her cries of plea. It was kind of sickening to think about it.

Through the darkness Raven could see the large wall that towered on the edge of the base and the shadow of the tree that was planted beside it. She would have to climb that tree to get over that wall. Then, she would be forced into the trees that lay beyond that wall. _I guess it is better than being trapped here, forced to fight for no good reason, forced to feel your own blood pour from your system as you lay, helplessly struggling under another cat's weight. At least in the forest you are free._

Raven didn't take a moment to stop when she flung herself at the tree; she latched her claws in the bark and ignored the gut-wrenching pain that burned through her body. She curled her lips back in an irritated growl as she pulled herself up the tree. She heard voices of her Band-mates below her but she pinned her ears back, not wanting to hear their mocking words. She needed to get away from them, even if it meant leaving behind the place she called home for her whole life. She needed to get away from her father, even if it meant leaving behind her best friends. She thought, with great agony, that she needed to escape the everlasting misery that continued to bear down on her shoulders. And now she realizes, that night when she killed Ember, there was nothing wrong with her, no, it was just her feeling regret and pain.

Raven felt her eyes fill as she scrambled onto the highest branch and took a swift glance downwards at the cats below her, their eyes were glowing beneath the dim light, glittering with disgust and scorn. She picked out Shard's icy blue eyes and she only saw enmity. But, deep, deep, deep within their depths Raven could see a slight hint of regret and pain. Was it for her? Or was it for Silver? Raven would never know. She would never receive an answer.

Raven swallowed through the large lump that was beginning to form in her throat as she turned her head away from the group of cats, not wanting to catch any of their eyes anymore. She bunched up her straining muscles and made a leap towards the top of the wall. Her claws curled onto the ivy that was woven around at the cracks that zigzagged at the top and she crawled up onto the ledge and ran into the grove of trees. She did not care anymore. She felt only two emotions. Pain and joy. Now, how do you feel both of those at the same time? The pain that overcame half of her body was brought up from the fact that she was banished from her home and forced to go away, leave everything that she has ever known. The other half of her body, joy, came from the fact that she was finally free from her father's icy grips around her. She did not have to hear his sneers of disgust continuously rounding at her ears and his hatred-filled words piercing her heart like a million claws.

Finally, when Raven thought she had gotten deep enough into the wooded terrain she felt her legs buckle beneath her and she toppled to the ground, rolling deep in the grass and mud. She let out a low, pain-filled groan as she felt the soil enter her wounds. She didn't bother to lick them though. She merely buried her face in her paws and heaved a raspy sigh. She kind of hoped that death would come and take her away from this world. She lost everything she has ever cared about. What does she have to live for now? It is not like she will see Jacko or Dawn or Ash again.

Raven welcomes death as easily as ever.

* * *

**Okay, here is the end alliances for The Blood Alliances! :D**

**Leader -** Shard: Dark gray tabby tom with icy blue eyes

**Second in Charge - **Ash: Large silver tabby tom with bright blue eyes

**Fighters - The strongest cats who fight the stray dogs and rogues**

Viperetta: Beautiful white and silver she-cat with long, gang-like teeth and violet eyes

Carmen: Beautiful calico she-cat with icy blue eyes

Blade: Dusky-brown tortoiseshell she-cat with piercing amber eyes

Jacko: Ginger tom with splotches of black fur and dark blue eyes

Frost: Handsome white tom with a gray tail and dark-colored eyes

Willow: Light gray she-cat with sharp blue eyes

Slash: Dark gray tom with green eyes and a large scar that runs down his flank

**Trainees - Cats in training to become fighters**

Dawn: Tortoiseshell and white she-cat with sky-blue eyes

**Allies - **

Fang: Long-furred cream-colored with black paws, a black tail-tip, a splash of black over his eye, and dark green eyes

Scorch: Dark ginger tom with glinting golden-colored eyes and razor sharp teeth

Wood: Brown tabby she-cat with gentle, river-blue eyes

Wolf: Huge gray and white tom with dark, intimidating yellow eyes

Hydra: Jet black she-cat with dark green eyes

Persephonie: Pale silver, almost white she-cat with blacks paws and golden-colored eyes

Stark: Brown tom with black spots and amber eyes

* * *

**Also guys, I'm sorry if your character was in The Blood Alliances and they didn't really make a big appearance, I promise they will make their appearance sometime in the story. I am so sorry! D:  
**


	13. Chapter 11: The Discovery

_Should I tell her that she looks mouse-brained when she does that?_ Mudsplash thought to himself as he watched Pebblepaw as she wriggled in the undergrowth, still in search for the lizard that had zipped into the brambles when it must have heard the white and brown she-cat when she accidentally stepped on that rouge twig that had to be in her path. Silverfrost, Pebblepaw's mentor, nearly fell over with laughter as Pebblepaw darted after the pesky lizard, the white and brown she-cat's gray-blue eyes were crazed as she raced after the green creature. The desperation in her eyes was probably the most humorous part about it.

"Pebblepaw, come on, it's obvious that the lizard got away," Lionfang, despite the grin that was curved onto his face, stated firmly but the blue-gray eyed apprentice didn't back out of the bramble thicket, her rump was still wiggling in the air as she desperately tried to claw her way through. Mudsplash could see the apprentice's tail lashing with irritation and he could hear the aggravated growls that continued to rumble in the she-cat's throat.

"I'm not letting this stupid creature get away!" Pebblepaw hissed as she continued to scramble around in the bramble thicket. Mudsplash shared a glance with Lionfang and the golden-colored tom shook his massive head, a playful gleam in his golden eyes. While Silverfrost continued her laughing spree, her pale blue eyes shut very tightly, probably in attempts to hold back the tears that were most likely forming in her eyes. While Mudsplash, not as amused at the situation as the other two warriors were, merely rolled his eyes as he turned his attention back to Pebblepaw.

"Gahh forget it!" A loud, defeated growl sounded from the white and brown apprentice as she hauled herself away from the undergrowth, her pelt was now matted and stuck out at all kinds of angles. Her gray-blue eyes were not as wild as they were before; they were now just full of anger and defeat. Her ears pinned flat against her head and her lips were slightly trembling, as if a snarl was about to arise up in her. But no sound came avail, aside from a few mutters as the apprentice sat her rump on the ground.

"Bad luck, Pebblepaw. You will get it next time," Silverfrost seemed to have recovered from her hysterical laughing fit and her eyes had finally pulled open, still, hints of amusement still burned in their depths. Pebblepaw must have noticed because she puffed out a large breath and raised her chin up at her mentor.

"I would have caught that lizard if it wasn't for your distracting, ridiculous laughter!" Pebblepaw snorted in annoyance as she raised a white-and-brown paw and drew her pink tongue over it, soothing down the fur that was ruffled at her toes. Then she moved onto licking her chest fur and untangling the knotted clumps of fur.

As the apprentice groomed herself Mudsplash raised his nose in the air, he parted his mouth and inhaled through both airways. He thought he might as well sniff out any prey that might be poking out of their hiding spots, since Pebblepaw's ordeal with the lizard was over. So far for DuskClan, early newleaf hasn't been very sweet this year. In the fresh-kill pile, each day there seemed to only be at least two pieces of prey. And being deputy of the Clan, it took a hard toll on Mudsplash. He vowed to keep his Clan strong and healthy, but how could he do that if there was no prey?

Suddenly, as the wind began to blow, one scent in particular drifted into his nostrils and stuck to the tops of his mouth. His eyes widened feeling fear rise up in him, his muscles tensed as he tightly shut his eyes and curled his claws around in the green blades of grass. Why was the scent of blood in the air? Who did that blood belong to? Was it one of his Clanmates?

Mudsplash's eyes flew open at the thought and then felt his paws begin to carry him towards the stench, barreling through the bramble bushes and ignoring the calls of the three cats behind him. His paws scraped along the brambles and he felt pain begin to itch up his legs, but he didn't care. The fact that the smell of blood was hanging in the air made everything in his body turn cold. It could be one of his Clanmates that is bleeding out somewhere, cries trying to escape from them but only silence came out of their mouths._ Oh StarClan, please don't let it be one of DuskClan's cats!_

Mudsplash thrashed his way out of the undergrowth and his mouth hung open feeling his lungs screaming for air, his breathes were ragged and hoarse as he puffed them out. The clearing in front of him was empty, yet the scent of blood led him here. Was he fooled? Was he just smelling things? Mudsplash inhaled deeply and stalked forward, feeling his paws sting with each new step. _Stupid brambles_. Mudsplash mentally hissed in anger as he felt the tall blades of grass brush against his flank, he held back the urge to claw at the blades to make them stop rubbing up against his skin. Yes, he was aggravated and full of fear. If there was blood, whose blood was it? And is it one of his Clanmates?

"Mudsplash?" He came to a halt and whipped around, Silverfrost's white head poked from the mess of bushes and her gray ears were perked in alert, her pale eyes were wide in concern and her pelt was fluffed up twice its normal size. Mudsplash could hear other scuffling as Lionfang and Pebblepaw came up behind the she-cat.

"I-I smelled blood, and I still do," Mudsplash's nose wrinkled as he continued forward, his tail slightly twitching as the scent of the blood continued to get stronger. The grass was now tickling at his lowered head and he halted as a sneeze tickled at his nostrils. He thrashed his head about as he sniffled and felt his lips curl in frustration as he pushed his way through the tall blades of grass. He was very eager to get to the source of the blood; he needed to know who the blood belonged to. Though, throughout this whole ordeal, the scent of cat never came to his senses. Just the repulsive stench of sticky blood. Not the kind of blood you would find in a lizard or snake, no, it was much, much different. It was more vile.

That's when Mudsplash saw it. A body. A black cat with a blood-stained coat. The cat was sprawled out beside a tree across from the clearing, and from Mudsplash's vantage point he could see that the cat's flank was barely rising. And, just like any sensible cat would do, Mudsplash bounded forward, barreling past the stocks of grass and letting his paws carry him towards the cat. He knew, even if he didn't know who the cat was, it was only right of him to see if it was alright. Though, it obviously looked as if it wasn't, considering the fact that as he got closer he could see a pool of blood that surrounded the cat.

Mudsplash skidded to a halt as came up to the cat. He realized that it was a she-cat. He could see how compacted and strong she looked, too muscly to be Pebblepaw's age, but judging by this she-cat's size it made Mudsplash think. He also noticed how scarred this she-cat was and how beaten up she looked. She had scratches that scattered her black pelt and even had some parts of her pelt where there was no fur. She looked as if she was caught up in a pretty bad fight.

"Is she alive?" Mudsplash felt Pebblepaw's pelt brush up against his and he heard the white-and-brown apprentice gasp at the sight of the black she-cat, Mudsplash turned to look down at the apprentice and noticed that her eyes were stretched wide in terror.

"Well, I don't think she is. I mean, her flank is rising and her paws are twitching! Sheer signs of death I've heard," Mudsplash meowed sarcastically and Pebblepaw's eyes darkened with fury but the warrior merely rolled his eyes before turning his attention the she-cat on the ground.

"We should take her back to camp, she looks pretty bad," Silverfrost came up on the other side of him and Mudsplash heard a grunt of agreement come from Lionfang who padded up to the side of Pebblepaw, his large black paws dipped into the crimson that circled around the she-cat and his eyes were almost emotionless.

"I don't know what Spiderstar would say if we brought back a stranger to the camp," Mudsplash shook his head as he stared down at the she-cat, she didn't look like a threat, but that's only because she was laying sprawled out against the ground and bleeding out. A cat can't hurt another if it's dying right? What if they were to heal her and she turned on them once she recovered? DuskClan couldn't afford to have an attack on them right now, even if it was just one cat.

"You know Spiderstar is a fair-minded cat, Mudsplash," Silverfrost pointed out and Pebblepaw nodded in agreement, along with Lionfang. "And if anything, once she is recovered she simply just leaves the camp."

Mudsplash heaved a heavy sigh and nodded; Silverfrost suppressed a satisfied purr and motioned her tail towards the black she-cat. Mudsplash pulled himself closer to the she-cat's body, feeling blood seep in between his pads. He shuddered at the feeling and glanced up at Lionfang; the large golden tom already had a grasp on the she-cat's scruff and was already hauling her upwards. Mudsplash quickly scurried over to the other warrior and felt the black she-cat get gently laid out on his back. For being as small as she was, this she-cat was not very light.

"Come on, Dewflower and Bluepaw can patch her right up!" Pebblepaw gave a squeak of excitement and bounced into the long grasses again, Silverfrost swiftly sprinted after her apprentice and Mudsplash and Lionfang took their time catching up to them.

"I hope we're making a good choice in bringing her to camp," Mudsplash muttered and he felt Lionfang's black tail rest gently on his shoulder, in a comforting and assuring way at least.

"It will be alright, you shouldn't worry so much."

* * *

**Hey 'O everyone! I hope you had a great holiday because I know I did! I had a great break and had lots of fun on Thanksgiving! C:  
**

**QOTD: Who is your favorite character in this chapter?  
**


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